Shifting Tides
by The Original God Mod
Summary: (Rewrite of Excessive Force) In a world with magic, and immortality, people are bound to grow powerful, but when so many powerful people pop up all at once, things get a bit hairy. Can they survive the trials set before them, or will all the work be for naught?
1. Chapter 1

This story, like many others, starts on a small island off the coast of Skyrim. This specific island was once a very historical landmark, yet as it was made from history, it remained in history just as well. After the Red Year, the famous erruption of Red Mountain, the island was broken apart into many pieces. Years later, to raise money for the war effort, the Emporer, Tidus Mede II, had sold the land to various nobles, for vacation homes. It was a well thought out move, and the situation had demanded it. This was the reason the once historical island was now known as the Noble Isles. A presumptuous title, but it fit. Although the island had been broken physically apart, the islands themselves retained a beauty only found in islands left alone for so many years, the kind of asthetic beauty only nature can give.

Amina was a normal girl for her age, if a bit gifted. Her noble status allowed her to research the ancient art of fortification, a once well known art, lost to today's mages. Ironic, that said art was still availible in Morrowind, which held the third highest number of mages, next to High Rock, and the Summerset Isles. Amina was gift, certainly, but she didnt do what most nobles did. She was far too kind to pursue the art of bribery and manipulation. While she was beautiful and rich, she was taught it was wrong to be overly open or forward, which meant she would never try seduction, thankfully. She had the keen mind for manipulation, but not nearly as much as some. Of course, as a noble, she knew swordsman ship, and was damn good with it, not to toot her own horn. While she had never fought an experienced warrior, she had also never been beaten.

As she lay on the beach, relaxing, she noticed a somewhat loud groan, and the sound of sand shifting. She was observant enough to remember it was the sound of a boat drifting ashore. Of course, this sound was not nearly as loud as a full ship, but it had to be at least the size of a decent one, one built to carry perhaps ten people for long voyages. Something was wrong though. There was no way any ship could crash here, seeing as it was daylight, regardless of the lack of a lighthouse. They were in the process of building it, but it was not finished yet.

Perhaps it was paranoia, or genuine curiosity, but the sixteen year old noble decided to check it out. Using a simple fortify speed spell, she made it to the ship in a few moments. As it turned out, the ship was about twenty feet long, wooden, and... broken. It genuinely looked like the ship had gone through hell itself, or perhaps a meteor shower. The mast was just gone, there were various holes in the ship, thankfully none at the bottom, and most of the wood was rotted. The ship was old, that much was obvious. If she had to guess, it was almost two hundred years old, though she was not quite sure. As she noted the various aspects of the ship, one thing in particular stood out. No one was aboard. That was chilling. She had never seen death, but to see its left overs, such as this...

She shook her head of those thoughts, before making her way into the ship. Thankfully, the rotted wood was not nearly rotted enough for her to break it by merely stepping on it. As she stepped forward towards the captain's quarters, she heard something move. Ignoring the miniature heart attack for the moment, she tried to get in, but the door was locked. Using a simple strength fortifying spell, she kicked the door down, and walked in. It was small, as most would expect, but it had decoration, obviously from morrowind. Being the curious soul she was, she wandered towards the bed, before her eyes fully adjusted to the light. What she saw was not what she expected.

A dark elf, but he seemed... dead. Not completely, but damned if he wasnt near it. His bones were showing directly under his skin, a lack of fat from starvation, and a lack of muscle from atrophy. Even so, the man was breathing. Unlike most nords, and even imperials, she did not hate the Dunmer. She lived in Morrowind for quite a while, which was how she learned fortification magic and swordsmanship. Even though her parents were away most of the time, it did have upsides such as that. When she noticed the elf was still breathing, though shallow and no doubt near death, she immediately used a long term fortify speed and strength spell combination, before picking him up with her shoulder and charging towards her home.

Thankfully, her parents were paranoid, and had a healer on the island whenever anyone was there. Rotul was a male nord, who had studied restoration to a decent extent, enough to be able to heal nearly any survivable injury. Although he was rather shocked when Amina had brought him the dunmer, he did as instructed and began to heal the poor bastard. The very fact that the man survived such levels of starvation meant either a deity favored him, or he was a very lucky bastard. As Rotul worked, he began to notice oddities. There were numerous little things that just shouldnt be.

The ring that he wore, for instance, would not come off. While the tattered clothes he had been brought in came off easily enough, that ring would simply not move. Each time he even touched it, he just felt wrong. It was obviously daedric in origin, or at least it was tied closely to a Daedra. The moon and star suggested Azura, but only Amina noticed that.

Then there was the man's right arm. It was certainly not normal. While his muscle had atrophied, his right arm remained normal. All along the arm, there were various runes than neither Amina nor Rotul understood. Them man had obviously seen or been a mage, and a damned skilled one too. It helped explain how the man had survived. Most didnt know, but in dire situations like starvation, the body will filter magicka to keep the body alive, but the process puts such a strain on the magicka reserves that it decreases the amount of magicka able to be handled exponentially. As it was now, the man had higher than average magicka reserves, which meant before the starvation, the man had absolutely immeasurable magicka reserves, enough to overpower any mage either of the two had ever seen.

When Rotul saw his eyes, making sure the man wasnt blind, he was disturbed. Most dunmer had dull red eyes. This particular dunmer had sharp red and black orbs, which seemed to, even in unconsciousness, pierce his very soul. Rotul had never met anyone who could be considered intimidating even while unconscious, but now he had. Those eyes unnerved him, and he had seen surgeries that would make most people insane.

It was a good week before the man looked anywhere near healthy. Even so, the damage to his body had obviously put the man back at whatever he had done before. Rotul nearly had a heart attack when the man darted upwards, apparently unaffected by the sore body. It was obvious by now that whoever he was, he had been heavily injured before. Restoration helped give the man back the average muscle for a normal person, though Rotul knew it was nowhere near the norm for warriors, or even thieves and mages.

The man was breathing heavily, though Rotul didnt know why. Unlike Solstheim, The Noble Isles was out of reach of the ash from Red Mountain. "Where am I, how long have I been out, and what year is it?"

The voice of the dark elf was different from those on Morrowind, who had adapted to the ash. It was deeper, but not nearly as scratchy. Rotul blinked once before nodding. At least the elf spoke the same language. "The Noble Isles. You crashed here a week ago. The year is 200 of the fourth era. Now then, I am Rotul, the one who healed you."

Rotul saw a flicker of confusion in the man's eyes, but it was gone as soon as it came. "I am Kuro, and you have my thanks." Kuro stood, before stretching.

Rotul chuckled. "I only obeyed my mistress, I probably wouldnt have healed you unless she told me to." That wasnt entirely true. Having been part of the great war, he hated death, and feared it for anyone, even dunmer. He was a bit racist, but at least he was truthful about it.

"Id like to meet my saviour." Kuro had a suave grin on his face, the kind that held confidence and power. Although most of it was probably gone now.

In the end, Rotul went and told Amina that the man had woken. Kuro was rather impressed when it took her only a few seconds to reach him, considering Rotul had gone to the other side of the manor. Now that he saw his saviour, he was glad. The girl was young, with long black hair, and a noble warrior's outfit, mostly white. Though, there was no way she should have been able to lift that large sword on her back, when she was so small. That outfit of hers was no doubt made of ebony and silk, meant for both protection and a status symbol. That sword though, it looked... different. Kuro had seen everything from daedric to wooden, but that sword was just different. It had a tiny bit of energy in it, but it was certainly not daedric. It felt... timeless. Kuro's eyes widened momentarily, before realizing he had probably come off as some pervert for letting his eyes wander, though she should notice that he mostly focused on her armor and sword. Even so, it probably wasnt the best greeting to size someone who saved your life up.

When Amina first saw Kuro on the ship, he looked small, weak, and helpless. Now? She was surprised to see that the man towered over even Rotul, who was tall by nord standards. Most nords were around six feet five inches tall, while most dunmer were around eight inches shorter. This man was different, being at least as tall as any high elf she had ever seen. Kuro's hair, which had oddly not grown out, was black, and wild. Then she saw his eyes. Seriously if this guy got any creepier, she was getting the fuck out of there. Those eyes of his which seemed to pierce the very soul had wandered on her body, but before she could so much as twitch, she saw his eyes focused on the armor and sword she wore, rather than her frame. This man was an experienced warrior alright.

Kuro was the first to speak. "Thanks for saving my life back there. You could have left me there and no one would have cared, so thanks. However, I must get to the imperial city as fast as possible. I need to see the Emporer."

Amina was rather shocked when the man wanted to see the Emporer. Not because no one wanted to, but because who the fuck was HE to get to directly meet with the Emporer. "Why would the Emporer see you?" It was meant to sound curious but it sounded rather hostile if Kuro narrowing his eyes was any indication. "Sorry, I just meant that well... not even my parents, who are pretty famous nobles, speak to him often."

Kuro nodded, figuring she would ask something like that. "Considering how long its been... Im not surprised you dont know who I am. I wonder if they still tell my story in Morrowind... I digress, I am Kurokon Shikyo, Vvardenfell's Knight of the Imperial Dragon, Grand Spymaster, Former Guild Master of the Thieves, Mages, and Fighters guilds, Former Arch Magister of the House Telvanni, Factor of the East Empire Company, Ancient of the Aundae Clan, and the leading expert on the Dwemer language. Now, who are you?"

Amina took most of it in stride. Claiming to be a "Grand spymaster", former guild master of the thieves guild, and belonging to a clan of vampires was outrageous, but looking at the man in front of her, she shouldnt be surprised. He had the magicka reserves to be a decent mage as it was, she couldnt imagine the sheer power he had before. Vampirism wouldve helped with that as well. His control surprised her, seeing how utterly still he was, even when moving, it showed he was at least a very skilled thief. Then his muscle mass, which she had little doubt was extensive before, showed he could take a lot of pain and keep going. All in all, if her assumptions were correct, he was not a jack of all trades, he was a master of them. Even so, the surprise was evident in her voice. "A vampire, spy, and thief, while also being a diplomat, mage, scholar, warrior, and Knight Of the Imperial Dragon? You must be the..." Amina's eyes widened. She had heard many legends of him during her time in Morrowind. Even with the erruption, it was said that the Nerevarine protected most of the country by magic, predicting the erruption and preventing it from destroying most cities. It was how Vivec survived. It was said that House Telvanni helped so much during it that nearly everyone began to support the great house, leaving Hlaalu and Redoran in the dust. Hlaalu was mostly on the mainland now, whilst Redoran still had several bases on Vvardenfell, and Solstheim.

Kuro chuckled. "Well I didnt think you would know about me, but yes, I am." Honestly he had expected her to kick him out immediately after saying he was a thief, spy, and vampire. The fact that she knew of the Nerevarine legends was surprising, but if she had visited nearly any city in Morrowind, they had either statues of him, although he would be unrecognizable due to the lack of armor, then she would definitely know about it all. How he heroically saved the island from the power of Dagoth Ur, sealed Lorkhan's heart away, and killed Almalexia. Though they only knew the overall story, and not the actual details. No one knew how he had sealed Lorkhan's heart away, or killed Dagoth Ur before doing so, though Almalexia's death was well known by now. When he proclaimed he had killed Almalexia, people were shocked, and at first claimed him to be insane, but considering Vivec even agreed that both Almalexia deserved to die, and that he killed her. Poor woman had gone insane by losing her godhood. Too bad he never got to save Sotha Sil though, they would have gotten along.

"That explains the ring." Amina shrugged, trying to look as if she expected it, but frankly, learning you saved the life of a national hero who had beaten deities before was just too shocking.

Kuro raised his eyebrow, before glancing down at his hand. His features softened the moment he saw the ring. "Moon And Star... she still favors me... Right, well if you have a boat and map I can borrow, Ill be able to repay you." Kuro looked rather sheepish at that moment.

Amina had a glint in her eyes. "Oooh no, definitely not. You just woke up from a coma, you are in no shape to travel that far."

Kuro chuckled. "I heal fast." Amina had to give him that. Even with Rotul's help, Kuro shouldnt have been able to walk, let alone move with the control he did. "Oh, you never gave me your name." Kuro pointed out.

Amina shrugged. "Amina Hoshira, my parents are advisors to the Elder Council. Youve missed quite a bit while you were gone, speaking of, how did you end up like that?"

Kuro frowned, before sitting down. Amina sat as well, knowing this would be quite the tale.

"After the Bloodmoon prophecy, I wandered around on Morrowind for a bit, before becoming a vampire, although Corpus altered it significantly. I went on to Yagrum Bagarn to learn the Dwemer language. It took me a full ten years for that. I know about the Oblivion Crisis, but only barely. After that, I set sell to Akavir, with a crew of my trusted friends. When we got there, we met up with a group who was rebelling against some new empire on the continent. we shared values and joined up with them. One hundred years of exile... another seventy or so of imprisonment. When I finally escaped, I was alone. My friends had died, and I had been but a single man against an army. They had things I cant explain, constantly sapping my magicka reserves. I was too dangerous to be killed, apparently the backlash my magicka would unleash in the event of my death while those things sapped my magicka would destroy a city. They couldnt transport me, so they simply imprisoned me, waiting until I died of old age. I dont pretend to understand why they did half those things, but they did. I escaped, barely a tenth of my former self. Almost lost my sanity, but I never had much to begin with. You really cant when you constantly deal with daedra, divines, and false deities, not to mention the sheer politics of my positions. In any case, I spent about three days at sea, before I lost consciousness, next thing I know, I woke up here." Kuro chuckled with mirth. His life had always been fucked up.

Amina looked interested for details, but she didnt pester him. "Either way, you arent going to see the Emporer alone."

Kuro raised his eyebrow at the girl. "You wish to come with me." It was rather obvious.

Amina nodded. "You think I would give up a chance to meet the Emporer, let alone have a bit of adventure? My parents wont even notice that Im gone, Rotul will make sure if they come back early, they know Im safe." Rotul, who had been silent up till now, simply nodded.

Kuro shrugged. "Very well, I suppose I could use the company, being alone for so long makes it kind of boring. Though if you are coming along, you had best be prepared. When I meet with the Emporer, dont speak unless he motions for you to. You have a high position, but not high enough to be rude to him. I hope he has the same sense of humor as old Uriel, I miss that old goat."

Amina was annoyed, but she knew he was right. Her family was considered royalty, but she was far from being able to be rude to the emporer. It could get her killed, but a warrior like Kuro would be protected due to three things. His status, his age, and his sheer power. Each of which could be of use against the Thalmor, who the Dunmer didnt like in the least. However, she was a damn good warrior in her own right! She would be damned if she let someone walk over her!  
_

Hundreds of miles away, in a castle off of the coast of Solitude, an event was happening. One which could change the entire world.

Harkon was a calm and collected man, with power beyond most mortal's dreams. Even so, he was outright laughing when this new pure blood challenged him for his lordship. Everyone else was shocked, but Harkon was laughing. It was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. That was, until the newblood, Kenjiro Nakamura, had shattered a table with his fist. Harkon stopped laughing, knowing no one but him had the power to do so in human form. The other vampires were strong, sure, but only as vampires. Without the numerous boosts vampirism gives, none of them would be a challenge. Harkon, on the other hand, made sure to made his power as solid as possible. Even in human form, he was a force to be reckoned with. He was far too paranoid to let himself be weak in any state.

Kenji obviously had strength, enough to shatter a stone table with his bare fist. Kenji was a blonde short haired nord, with those orange eyes that newbloods often had, though these were different. Kenji had brought Serana to Harkon, before demanding a reward. Apparently, pure vampirism wasnt enough. No, he wanted the whole damn castle, and Lordship. Harkon would be damned if the brat had it, but he had to admit he was intrigued. Serana pleaded with Kenji to stop, but he didnt listen, so she simply sat and watched, with everyone else. Harkon knew she hated him deep down, so it was no surprise she didnt directly protect him, hell she only pleaded because she wanted Kenji to live.

Harkon smiled softly at Kenji, mocking him. "Oh yes, how impressive. Tell me, have you delved into the ancient arts? The forbidden magics? The lost ones? No? Have you studied-" Harkon was interrupted by Kenji swinging the overly large warhammer he held at Harkon, one handed. He dodged it easy, but was surprised when the wall it struck simply collapsed. Maybe this could be a challenge after all. "Very well!" It took but a second and both went into their Vampire Lord forms. Kenji's form was larger, which annoyed Harkon.

The two vampire lords charged at each other, claws shredding anything in their path. For a moment the fight looked even, but the smaller vampire was begining to wane. Feeling the distinct need to not die, Harkon pushed Kenji back, before ascending to use night magic. He fired multiple health absorbing orbs at Kenji, which hit. Harkon immediately felt better, but noticed Kenji did not even seem out of breath. Two voices spoke out in Harkon's mind, one telling him this was going to get fun, while the other was telling him he would lose. Harkon, being arrogant as he was, listened to the first voice, ignoring the fact that his claws only scratched Kenji, while Kenji's claws seemed to shred anything in their way.

Kenji's vampire form shifted its mouth into what seemed to be a grin, before he once more charged at Harkon, this time at nearly twice the speed. Harkon barely had time to blink before Kenji was on him, clawing away. Kenji stopped after a moment, leaving Harkon descending to the floor unconscious, before both of them reverted to their human state. Harkon looked half dead, but Kenji looked no different from when he marched in there with Serana. Kenji laughed outright, as everyone, even Serana, gaped in shock. Harkon was insanely more powerful than any of them, able to beat them all at once, unless Serana joined in. Serana could by no means defeat him on her own, but if she added the power of the rest of the castle, Harkon would lose. The fact was, While Harkon was powerful, he was also lazy. The bastard had relied on his vampirism to keep his body in shape, even if he had once trained to perfection. Even with vampirism, Harkon's lack of real combat had made him weak, compared to a truly powerful warrior. The truth was, everyone in Castle Volkihar would lose easily if they fought someone like Kenji, who had trained his entire life, fought in a war, and various battles. Truth was, Kenji was one of the most powerful warriors in Skyrim, so Harkon went down like a dog. Even Serana, who had trained before she had been sealed away, wouldnt want to fight him. Fact was, while Serana had trained, she had then been sealed away, losing the training which had made her a real threat.

Kenji cackled. "Anyone else want to challenge my authority?" Silence was his response, the answer being obvious. The fools had thought of Harkon as a god, so it was understandable that they were shocked that he had easily been beaten. For Kenji, life was going to get good.

A few days later, Harkon was healed and subservent to the new Lord Kenjiro. The fact that he had been beaten was humbling, and while he was arrogant, he had no wish for death. When Harkon had asked Kenji for his plans, Harkon expected to be punished, but Kenji simply called everyone to meet in the dining hall for a meeting. To his surprise, no one dared to mock his failure, which meant they still understood they were weaker than Harkon himself.

When everyone was in the dining room, Kenji stood before speaking. "Listen closely. I know some of you are nervous about my ascension, but let me explain what my plans are, perhaps then you will gain some understanding for me." He had everyone's attention. He wasnt a bad speaker. "Earlier in the day, Harkon asked me what my plans are, and that made me think. I conquered the strongest vampire in Skyrim... but why stop there?" He paused briefly. "Ladies and gentlemen, I propose we go forth with haste, and conquer ourselves a country, or even the entire continent." Needless to say, everyone was shocked. "Therefore, I give this order. I want half of you to go forth into Skyrim and transform as many people as possible, so long as they are worthy, into pure blood vampires. This will make our army larger. Understand this, the more people you turn into purebloods, the higher your position. The other half will train. Every month one half will switch with the other. If you find any vampires, bring them to me, do not turn them unless I say so. Does everyone understand? If I find out you are trying to cheat me, I will kill you without a care in the world."

With that, everyone dispersed, half to train, the other half to find worthy candidates for vampirism. Kenji grinned as Serana went out of the castle. Oh he knew what she was planning, he knew without a doubt, but he didnt care. She could run off and live fantasies of being a princess, he couldnt care less. While she was powerful, he knew she didnt have the same hate for him that she did for Harkon. She would only try to live in peace, rather than blatantly attack him. Besides, who could she possibly recruit that could be able to kill him?

Alex was a Khajiit mercenary, who protected the trading caravans for a time. After killing a giant in whiterun, he began to ponder his purpose. What did he want with his life? What did he want to be known for? It certainly wasnt trading. He was one of the most skilled archers there was, yet he protected a bunch of caravans who didnt need it, seeing as each Khajiit among them had training on how to kill. Elswyr was a strange place these days, if you didnt know how to kill someone, you didnt survive long. Personally, Alex never felt at home there. It was all about trading and speechcraft. He was a warrior, he knew that from when he was first born!

He liked the caravan travelers well enough, but he longed to do something with his life. He was young, only in his twenties. Khajiit had long lives, though not as long as mages, or elves, it was certainly longer than most humans. Most Khajiit who died of old age had lived to be over a hundred. He had plenty of time left, but he was bored of this. He wanted honor and glory, not a few meager bandits. He wanted to be regarded as a hero.

That was why, when Aela the Huntress, of the Companions, suggested he join, he jumped at the chance. The Companions were well known, and it would give him passage into any city unless he did something to ruin his reputation. Considering he was never good at thievery, he didnt have to worry. The guards were nervous about Khajiit, due to the drug trade that happened, but if a Companion with as high status as Aela vouched for him, he could pretty much waltz into any town he wanted. Granted he mostly wanted to buy some nordic armor, as his own armor was nearly broken.

Strangely, it seemed the feeling about Khajiit extended only towards guards. Even the nords of Whiterun who loathed elves didnt treat him too bad. Sure, there was a joke or two, but it was meant as a joke rather than direct insult. Alex had to laugh at some of them, if just to ease their nerves. Alex was an understanding person. Nords were stubborn as hell, and for them to speak to Alex in a joking manner like that meant that they would at least tolerate him. Though, the merchants were friendly as hell, probably trying to get on his good side because of his ties with the caravaners. Well, that woman who worked the shop directly in front of the gate treated him neutrally, more from her own apathy about him than any hatred of his race.

Alex had spoken with the Caravan leader, and they were still on good terms. It was rather obvious that Alex only got into the city because of Aela's position. He wouldnt ask her to do the same for the entire caravan, he just couldnt. He knew without a doubt there were a few in there who were too addicted to moonsugar, or thievery to hold themselves back while in a city. That would ruin his own credibility, along with Aela's. He had a unique sense of honor, which meant he would not betray Aela's trust.

So he did what anyone would do. He went through his trial to Dustman's Cairn with not a complaint. Farkas was an enjoyable guy, with a good sense of humor. He was a kind soul, and Alex got along with him great. Only that "Strong-arm" girl harbored any hate for his race, the rest of the companions just didnt give a damn. True warriors had honor and cared nothing for race, so far, the Companions had been everything Alex had ever wanted. Becoming a werewolf was a great deal as well. It was unfortunate that Skjor died, but it was even worse when the Harbinger died as well. Thankfully they had cleansed his soul of lycanthropy, freeing him from Hircine.

It was a great life, and Alex loved every minute. Then he got arrested, and nearly excuted twice, first by axe, then by giant black dragon. One of his jobs had been near the border of skyrim. It was simply bad luck that the soldiers happened to be fighting there and mistook him for a stormcloak soldier. Then he went and only survived the destruction of helgen thanks to the combined efforts of Hadvir and Ralof. Right now, they were all in the keep, talking.

Ralof and Hadvir were both untrusting of the other, but they agreed that the dragons returning was more important than any war, especially since that giant black dragon had called itself Alduin. The very thought of him frightened the two.

"Alright, Ralof, if we come to any stormcloaks, convince them to let us through, Hadvir, if we come accross any Imperials, do the same. Point out that neither General Tulius nor Ulfric Stormcloak were responsible for the dragon, whoever was wanted to kill everyone there, meaning there is a new side to this war. I have little doubt it is the Aldmeri Diminion." Alex stated, knowing it would calm both of them enough to think clearly.

Hadvir frowned, while Ralof nodded. "I am unsure if I will be able to, but so long as we travel together we should be able to at least get passed anyone." Hadvir pointed out.

Ralof chuckled. "Well both sides think the other side is dangerous, just imagine if the two teamed up."

Hadvir sighed at that. "Yes, but lets face it, the Great War took its toll on the entire empire. If the Aldermi Diminion is acting now, the only course of action is to team up with the stormcloaks. Once the Thalmor are gone, Talos worship will no longer be outlawed, and the civil war will not longer be. Its a good course of action in theory. However... I have the feeling that whatever we are dealing with here isnt the Aldmeri Diminion."

Alex nodded. "Whatever caused this dragon to appear wanted both sides dead. The Aldmeri Diminion's goal is to show that elves are superior, not wipe out humanity. The only ones in the past who could effectively tame dragons were the Dunmer, and the Akaviri. Morrowind has remained neutral through this entire thing, so I doubt it is them. If it is the Akavir... we may very well have to work with the Thalmor."

Both Hadvir and Ralof looked annoyed at the idea of working with such barbarians, but didnt speak against it. The Akaviri were not to be trifled with, they knew that. As they continued through the keep, looking for the way out, they began amassing followers, both Imperial, and Stormcloak. Only one person fought against teaming up with the Stormcloaks, and it turned out to be a Thalmor agent in disguise, oddly enough. It was the captain that had ordered Alex's death, which made him concerned. If they could mask their race like that, who knows what else they could do?

When everyone finally got out of the keep, they went their seperate ways. The stormcloaks went towards Windhelm, while the imperials went towards Solitude, both to warn their people and leaders. It was an unofficial truce. Hopefully it would become official.

Meanwhile, Alex, Ralof, and Hadvir went to Riverwood. Ralof and Hadvir visited their families, while Alex was going to head to whiterun to warn the Jarl. Alex decided to trade in a few items while he was there, which led him to hear about a golden claw being stolen. Alex felt compelled to help. He hated bandits. It wasnt like there was a lack of jobs in skyrim, so there was no point in becoming a bandit. It didnt even pay well, so the only point of it was the kinship one felt with fellow bandits. It was similar to the Companions except without any trust.

So, Alex made his way towards Bleak Falls Barrow, killing the wolf, troll and six bandits that stood in his way. When he first entered the barrow, he was mildly annoyed by the stench of death. Khajiit had good noses, and being a werewolf just made it that much better. He listened quietly to the two bandits talking. He wasnt stealthy, but they werent focused towards him so staying hidden was childs play.

"I dont care, if the damn dark elf wants to go ahead, let him." The male spoke.

The woman rolled her eyes. "You do realize that Golden Claw is all our loot? We didnt get anything else, he literally has all our money with him."

The man shrugged, right before an arrow pierced his skull from behind. The woman had a brief second to turn before the same happened to her. Alex walked down the steps, before reaching a puzzle. It was ridiculously obvious, but it was still a puzzle. He had to laugh when he noticed the bandit dead on the floor. The puzzle was literally the easiest thing he had ever done. The only possible way to get it wrong was to put the symbols the wrong way, but the bandit hadnt even tried, just ran up to the level and killed himself. Alex wasnt one to laugh at death, but holy hell how stupid could you get?

In any case, he killed the three rats down the stairs, before running into the thing he and Farkas hated most. Giant fucking Spiders. He got through the webs easy enough and grinned. The spider descended from the ceiling, hissing at Alex. Alex threw a potion at it. Right as the potion was at the spider's face, Alex shot it with an arrow. Immediately, an explosion blew the spider away, and killed the dunmer bandit caught in the webs. Thankfully, Alex had immediately taken cover. That potion was oil, his arrow simply caused a spark when it hit the bottle, causing the explosion.

Alex moved on, killing draugr, before he finally came to the main burrial chamber of the barrow. He noticed the giant wall, and tried to read it. It was similar to the most primitive version of the Elsywr language, before the Imperial language because universal. It was made by claw marks, that much was obvious. Alex wished he had a scholar with him, so he could read it better, but all that spoke to him was one word. Force. He didnt know why, but he could read that specific word.

He had been so lost in the wall, he only barely heard the crack that symboled the corpse walking again. Alex sighed before turning and firing into the Draugr. Damn things were persistent. He was mildly surprised when it didnt immediately die, or redie, as the case may be. He narrowed his eyes before firing repeatedly into the draugr, scoring both the eyes and forhead. The draugr finally slumped in defeat, and Alex checked its corpse. Perhaps it was paranoia, or just plain curiosity, but he found a strange carving, and he kept it, perhaps he could sell it to the caravaners, who would then sell it to the College of Winterhold, he could get a better deal than anyone.  
-

When he finally reached whiterun, he was rather surprised when a strange boy greeted him. Well, he thought of him as a boy, but in reality the man was seventeen years old, and claimed to be a skilled mage. He was willing to buy the strange carving, but Alex suggested they speak with the Court Wizard about it. The breton, Demetri, agreed. After warning the Jarl about the dragon, Alex ignored the arguing between the two servants, and instead went to the Court Wizard with Demetri. Apparently Demetri was a well known mage, because Farengar treated him with respect, something not even the Jarl had.

Farengar smiled at Demetri. "Its a pleasure to finally meet you, Ive read your spellbooks on Anti-magic, wonderful piece of work that, but what can I do for you?"

Demetri chuckled sheepishly, apparently nervous with the attention. "Yeah, anyway, Alex here found this ancient carving in Bleak Falls Barrow, he was wondering how much it could be worth. Im more of a practical mage, so I wouldnt know."

Farengar laid eyes on the Dragonstone and stared dumbly. "You have to be joking."

Alex blinked. "What is it?"

Farengar sighed. "Ive sent about ten people into that barrow, just to retreive this, none of them returned. Look, I know you were going to sell this, but please, let me buy it, Ill give you one thousand, this information is necessary for preparing against the dragons."

Alex nodded. "Sure, and maybe Demetri here could help with whatever it is you are doing."

Demetri nodded. Alex walked back to the Jarl, who looked annoyed, likely due to his two subordinates arguing. "A detachment is on its way to riverwood, you have my thanks, all towns and cities in my hold will be protected, but these are dragons, and our buildings are made of wood."

Alex nodded, knowing this to be true. "Any dragon which attacks whiterun will have to deal with the Companions."

Balgruuf smiled slightly. "well then-" He was interrupted when his housecarl ran into the room, and spoke.

"Sir, dragon at the southwest watch tower." She panted for breath, and by the time she looked up, Alex and Demetri were already gone. "Azura help them..." She whispered, wondering if they were brave, or arrogant.  
_

A dunmer male, young for his race, wandered towards Whiterun, hoping to have some fun soon. Looking at the piles of dead bandits near him, it was just too boring.

An average nord stood near him. "Ive heard reports of dragons attacking north, near whiterun. It is likely the next target. You want to go, Plague?"

The dunmer chuckled with glee. Dragons eh? "You shouldnt have to ask, Zane, maybe we will run into him again, eh?"

The nord seemed to exude apathy, but his eyes showed curiosity. "It was too long ago, and we barely escaped with our lives. I doubt he fared much better."

Plague snorted. "You know better than to underestimate that man. He is crafty, and smart enough to escape, do not doubt that."

"Perhaps so... but holding onto hope like that isnt the best idea. He probably thinks we are dead, even if he is alive." Zane's tone did not change, nor did his incredibly annoying apathetic nature.

Plague shrugged. "Its not a hope really, I can feel it. The bastard survived, he has too much to do before he dies."

Zane's eyebrow rose, before he spoke in amusement. "Like taking over the world?"

Plague nodded sagely, going along with the joke. His amusement faded into a strange expression. "How long has it been since we escaped?"

"Two years."

"Has it really been so long? I suppose time flies when you dont age." Plague chuckled.

Zane merely shrugged, not knowing how Plague felt about it. "Lets be off." Plague nodded, and both began their treck through skyrim. Unfortunately neither of them had a good sense of direction, so they wound up at a dwemer ruin first. Either way, they were going to have fun.


	2. Chapter 2

The Imperial City was not what Kuro had imagined. He didnt think it would have changed so much that he didnt recognize is. The entire structure seemed it was rebuilt, more than once. The once glorious city was now just a shell of what it once was. During his time as Grand Spymaster, Kuro had come to think of the Imperial City as a secondary home, ironic since his primary home was the entire island of Vvardenfell. Nevertheless, Kuro could not miss the giant tower which was where the Emporer was supposed to have lived. It was still just as marvelous as ever, if a bit worn. He supposed two hundred years could do that.

Amina was a good traveling companion, a bit quiet though. Even so, she had a hyper personality when she DID talk. Whenever she spoke though, Kuro couldnt help but be interested. The manner which she saw things intrigued him, having been out of the empire for so long. Beyond that, she was a noble, yet she wasnt afraid of 'commoners'. Admittedly, he really could not call himself a commoner, but that was neither here nor there. She had saved someone's life without promise of reward, and with no possibility of punishment if she didnt. The girl was a light in the dark, that much was true.

The trail the two took towards the tower traveled through the Temple district. It was one of the poorer districts of the city, and it showed. Children were running around, emaciated, yet happy as can be. Kuro smiled at that. To view their lives as good would help them later in life, if they made it that far. Even so, Kuro couldnt help but wonder what had happened to the Empire. He hadnt asked if any disasters occured yet, so he figured it was something like an earthquake or something like that. In Kuro's days in the Imperial City, everyone was happy and the poorest district was the waterfront. Considering said waterfront still had housing, and enough money for food, it was a good time. Perhaps it was a depression or something. The timeline fit with that, but to this extent? He was a bit worried.

Kuro had decided to take a little break. His fatigue was extensive, even with all that had happened, but he still felt the need to catch his breath. Going from the ash filled seas above Morrowind, to the clean fresh air from the Imperial City could cause anyone to want that. So, he found a little bench and sat for a bit. As he sat, he had to think. Things were not right here. The guards acted less human than he could imagine, just glaring impassively at the traffic. The people looked nervous and worried. For fucks sake, children were starving on the streets!

No, something wasnt adding up. The Empire was rich, especially the central city, so why was everyone in this place so poor? He knew the Oblivion Crisis had caused a great deal of damage, but nothing like this. It was ridiculous. So what the hell had happened while he was away? Granted, two hundred years can change an empire. Even so, it shouldnt be like this. The only way could be if the Empire had a competitor. Honestly, there were few countries that could build enough of an empire to match the Cyrodiil Empire. Elswyr was in the perfect place for both defense and sneak attacks, due to its deserts, and its closeness to the Imperial City. Plus, Khajiit could be downright frightening, if Miaq was anything to go by. Even so, they had had good trade with the Empire, so that much was doubtful.

Morrowind could definitely start up an empire, he knew that much. The fact was, Dunmer were scary as hell to most people. They had advantages in each aspect of combat, stealth, magic, and melee. They were jack of all trades, and for certain people, masters. Not to mention that vivec still lived, even if his connection to the heart was shattered. He was still a dunmer mage, and still held the vast power that he had managed to naturally attain. Vivec was the only person who came close to Kuro's own magicka reserves, in his prime. Living for so long did that to vivec. If Vivec actually got the Great Houses to stand together, well, Cyrodiil would be doomed. The only real reason they hadnt before was because of Dagoth Ur. You have to deal with the internal threats before the external.

Black Marsh was similar to Elswyr, but they couldnt create an army like Elswyr could. Argonians in Black Marsh were an unknown to Kuro. Bretons, Nords, and Imperials clung to their 'humanity', so neither High Rock nor Skyrim would try splitting off. Redguards and Orcs just didnt give a right damn, so they were out. That left the High Elves, and the Wood Elves. Wood Elves were different from both the high and dark elves. They were peaceful, mostly, but if they ever fought they could be fierce and deadly. High Elves were just arrogant little shits in Kuro's humble opinion. He didnt mean the whole race, but the average. To be honest, he kind of blamed the Imperials for that, seeing as they translated Altmer into "High Elf", probably didnt help matters.

As his thoughts drifted towards the possibility of the Altmer and Bosmer teaming up, Kuro nearly cracked up. It wasnt well known, but the Bosmer and Altmer, regardless of their close borders, loathed each other. Altmer were arrogant and ruthless, while Bosmer were often kind and humble. At least, the countries as a whole had been. The Altmer government on Summerset Isles, when he had visited, had tried ordering him around. He left a nice present in the shape of a crater because of that. On the other hand, the Bosmer government had treated him like an honored guest. The Khajiit had as well, but that was because of him being connected to both Azura and Sheogorath. Dealing with all the governments he had, he felt amused when people suggested he had low status. Admittedly, his new clothes werent much, but he didnt want to waste Amina's money. He had an account with multiple banks, so why waste money that isnt his? He could pay it back, unless the banks were closed down now, but still.

Speaking of his banks, he wondered if any adventuring thieves had retrieved his donation to Divayth's little entertainment room. He doubted it, but who knew? He would probably have to go all around and collect his items that he had left behind, such as Wraithguard. Actually, if he remembered correctly, Yagrum was so interested in Wraithguard, Keening, and Sunder, that he kept them near him at all times. Last that Kuro knew was that Yagrum was trying to make it so that anyone could use Keening and Sunder, even without Wraithguard. He had to wonder if that was wise, but Lorkhan's heart no longer had a physical vessel. Instead, it created something... dangerous.

Kuro immediately jumped from his seat when he heard a familiar voice shout out "NO!". He had just gotten back, no one was dying on him any time soon.

-A bit earlier-

Much like the Nerevarine, Amina had been thinking. At first, she was annoyed with Kuro, but as they traveled together, it became obvious that Kuro was more than he appeared. When she first met him, she thought he was shallow, relying on former titles. However, when she traveled with him, seeing the sheer pile of bandits that Kuro killed, she knew better. She had killed before, so she wasnt too disgusted, but there was a look in Kuro's eye she knew. Kuro had tried to negotiate with the bandits, but we all know how that song and dance goes.

Lost in her thoughts, she wandered the Temple District aimlessly. She had no purpose in her stride, simply wanting to stretch her legs, after being in a wagon for so long. She paused when she heard sounds of a struggle. When she turned and saw, she grew angry. Three older boys were stealing food from a little girl. The boys were just as old as her, but the girl was barely half their age. To make matters worse, the boys werent emaciated like majority of the city, but neither was the girl, she could tell they had money from just their clothes.

One of the boys apparently got angry at whatever the little girl said, and was about to smack her. Amina easily caught his arm, holding it back.

"Eh, the little grey-skin has a friend? Get her!" The boy tried to wrench out of her grip, but she was too strong for that. You'd think people would know better than to try and attack someone in ebony armor, with a giant sword on their back, but stupid people exist.

She literally threw the first boy into the other two with enough force to knock all three down. It was honestly pathetic, three spoiled noble brats trying to fight a swordswoman and fortification expert. Even so, all three of the boys went down with little more than a love tap, being civilians, not trained in the least.

The little girl was a dunmer, which was probably one of the reasons why they boys didnt like her. She turned to walk away, before hearing clanking, and the unsheathing of a sword.

It seemed to happen in slow motion, but when she turned, she saw a man in armor lunging at the little dunmer girl with his sword.

"NO!"

She didnt know who shouted it, but she did know that she couldnt react in time to save the poor girl, not without previously having prepared a spell to do so. She could only watch as the blade came within a few inches of killing the little girl, who was obviously scared.

A few moments before the sword would have pierced her, she saw Kuro speeding towards the man with speeds outclassing her own fortification spells. Kuro was only a blur to everyone else, but Amina saw it perfectly. Kuro had simply pushed the sword upwards so fast the man couldnt react, and managed to pierce himself with his own weapon.

There was a brief pause, before the man fell over dead from Kuro's deflection. Amina had never seen Kuro look so angry, even when the bandits used various racials slurrs in their speech. Even so, that anger vanished the second he turned to the girl.

"Hello there, I'm Kuro" He smiled at the little girl.

"Hi..." The girl was still scared and awestruck, but that was no surprise, as she had just been attacked twice in the past few minutes. Strange how the guards had not reacted to anything. Amina was starting to wonder if they were even alive.

"Do you know where your father or mother is?" Kuro gently asked.

"That would be me." An annoyed/amused voice spoke out. Both Kuro and Amina turned to face the speaker, and both were shocked. The speaker was an old dunmer, who had on full daedric armor, without a helmet, but this daedric armor was the older version, not the newer version. He had white hair, with a goatee. The little girl rocketed towards the man and hugged him with all her might.

Amina was the first to speak. "So... anyone else wondering why the guards did nothing, let alone why a random man attacked a little girl?"

The father sighed. "This world is filled with hatred, especially between humans and elves."

She understood what he meant, people still feared and hated elves after the great war, even though dunmer had nothing to do with that war, it went to all elves.

"Divayth?" Kuro blinked.

"Oh, you know me?" Divayth looked genuinely curious.

"You old goat, you arent allow to forget me!" Kuro said, knowing anyone else calling Divayth an old goat would probably die.

"Oh my goodness, Kuro? I thought you were in Akavir, what happened?" Divayth spoke.

"Lets talk about it someplace less... open." Kuro pointed out.

The group of four made it to the nearby Inn, The Septim Domain. Kuro noted how everything, even the names of things, had changed. The once nearly unnoticeable racism had gone all the way to attacking elven children? Something was missing, and he wanted to know what. The group, minus the child who Divayth had put to bed already, sat at a table in the Inn, drinking Colovian Ale.

"So what happened while you were in Akavir?" Divayth started the conversation off. Amina decided to just listen, seeing as Divayth didnt seem to be interested in her in the least.

"Joined a rebellion, nearly died, the usual." It was funny how Kuro could say 'the usual' after that and be truthful with it.

"I see. Well, youve missed a great deal."

"So Ive noticed... Speaking of, why exactly are you here? Last I checked you hadnt left your tower in ages."

Divayth grew weary at this. "Kuro, a few decades back, Red Mountain errupted. Your predictions were right, and the device saved a few cities. However... My tower was destroyed in the aftermath. I thought I was safe from it, being so far out to sea. As it turned out, the mountain near my tower crumbled, crushing the tower. The only reason I survived is because I was talking to Yagrum at the time, none of my daughters made it out."

Kuro sighed, knowing it couldve happened. "Well then, how is Yagrum, and you still didnt answer why you are here specifically. The obvious racism makes it one of the worst places you could be."

Divayth nodded. "Yagrum is doing much better. Even I was surprised when that cure worked, if only in curing the contaigousness. Yagrum has been a blessing to research in the Dwemer culture. Oh, I am here because after you left... well, there was no one better to become Arch Magister, and the perks fit what I wanted, took my mind off of my daughters. Honestly, the racism here isnt as bad as it is in Skyrim, but thats just against high elves. Nords may be a racist bunch, but at least they dont blame us for the Great War."

Kuro paused, taking it all in. "Great War?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Ah, thats right, you were gone. Well, after the Oblivion Crisis, the Aldermi Diminion saved most of the summerset isles, which let them replace the former government via support. Years later, the Aldmeri Diminion broke away from the empire, taking quite a bit of some other countries with it, I dont know the details about that, never bothered to learn. I believe it was around thirty years ago that the Aldmeri Diminion started the 'Great War' with the Empire. The war came close, but in the end the Emperor was forced to sign a treaty, which, among other idiotic things, made it illegal to worship Talos. Except in Morrowind, but you know why. The fact is, even now no one wants to mess with Morrowind, only Black Marsh hates us enough to try, and they arent stupid enough. I wouldnt be surprised if Skyrim tried soon though. I personally want Morrowind to break from the empire, but Vivec said it would be best to not cause any hostile action yet. Sadly enough, he is right. If we broke off now, we would still be weakened, but this time we would be open to be attacked by both the Empire, and the Aldmeri Diminion. Ah, right. The overall goal of the Aldmeri Diminion is to prove that Talos didnt become a god, and that elves are superior to humans. Of course, they have death raids in Valenwood, and never bothered to even ask us to join them. Truth be told, the Summerset Isles have fallen ever since the Psijics disappeared a few years back. Right now, the average Sorcerer in Morrowind is about equal to the greatest sorcerer in the Summerset Isles, mostly due to the Thalmor deeming several branches of magic for 'weaker' races. Even so, they have become even more like nords now, relying on weak magic and melee combat more than any true magic. Sad, but it happens. As it turns out, the Psijic Order has changed quite a bit. They no longer discriminate on who they invite, so long as said person has true potential. A few years back I was invited, though, obviously, I declined, already ruling a powerful House of mages." Divayth oddly had not breathed in or out during that, making Amina wonder if he functioned like a normal person. Kuro of course knew that Talos existed, seeing as he had met the physical representation of him when he visited Ghostgate before fighting Dagoth Ur. It was hilarious how many Aedra and Daedra Kuro had met personally. Talos, Akatosh, Merehunes Dagon, Sheogorath, Jyggalag, Lorhkan, and Azura, he had met in person. Akatosh and Merehunes Dagon during the olivion Crisis, Sheogorath and Jyggalag during his year in the Shivering Isles, and Lorhkan and Azura when he fought Dagoth Ur.

Kuro's only response was to fold his hands, rest his chin on his thumbs, and closed his eyes, before he finally said. "I see. Inform everyone of my return, will you? Ive got to see the Emperor, then I will be heading to Skyrim. I need to get back in shape before I appear back on Morrowind."

Divayth nodded. "Whatever happened to you... just be careful, Morrowind cant lose another of us. And get your magicka reserves back up to par, honestly, you couldnt even be considered a mage back home anymore!" Divayth was probably teasing him, at least, Amina assumed he was.

Kuro gave a dull look to Divayth. "Thats what Im heading to skyrim for. I hear tell of a war there, figure if I end it, I can get good reputation for us. Oh, has Yagrum completed the plans? He said it would take two decades, but with all thats happened..."

"Ask him yourself when you get back. I dont think youll need it to deal with a bunch of unruly nords." Divayth mused.

Kuro chuckled. "Yes well, its time for me to meet this new Emperor. Lets hope he is as fun as Uriel, neh?"

"He should be, seems to like dunmer for some reason, or perhaps just mages, in either case, you shouldnt have any problems. Oh, by the way, isnt she a bit young for you?" If Divayth hadnt been a mage who even Kuro respected, Amina might have stabbed him, as it was, she merely glared, unable to speak from rage.

"Oh be quiet you old goat. Always gotta say shit like that... But she might be my new apprentice, perhaps. Who knows?" Kuro shrugged carelessly, whilst Amina wondered why they were talking about her like she wasnt there. She also wondered why Kuro was so vulgar with language, but she didnt honestly care.

"Take care Kuro, and visit Solstheim some time, Neloth keeps bragging about you like you were his apprentice." Divayth waved, walking towards the room that his daughter was sleeping in.

Kuro and Amina arrived at the Palace later on, both wanting to see the emperor. Hilariously, the guards in the palace were much more nonchalant than the racist fucks in the Temple district. When Kuro declared he was a blades agent to them, they didnt fight it, and let him in to see the Emperor. He didnt know that the blades had been reduced to less than ten members in total.

The Emperor looked eerily familiar, but Kuro didnt know many people who looked like wrinkled old leather bags with hair. "So you claim to be a Blades Agent, what class?"

"Grand Spymaster of Morrowind." Kuro's impassive look contrasted greatly with the Emperor's face, which showed surprise.

"A dunmer claiming to be the Nerevarine from the third era, this hasnt happened before." Generally speaking, Dunmer respected the Nerevarine too much to falsely claim to be him. "Proof?" Kuro rolled his eyes, and held up his hand, showing the Moon-and-Star ring. The Emperor was naturally speechless.

"I am also Knight of the Imperial Dragon, if I wasnt replaced yet. You sit there, wondering what I want. Let me tell you want I want then, and listen well. I want to end this petty civil war in Skyrim, I want to unify Morrowind's populace again, and then I want to destroy the Aldmeri Diminion." Kuro's voice was quiet, calm, and dangerous.

"I... I see. I will neither be able to hamper nor help you for the first two, but if you can get enough strength to destroy the Aldmeri Diminion, Im sure the Elder Council will agree to help. As it is, your status as Knight of the Imperial Dragon has been revoked, and the military has an entirely new ranking system. That being said, you may not be able to be part of the armies, but if any legends of the Nerevarine are true, you should be able to destroy the Stormcloak side." The Emperor was surprisingly calm after that revelation.

Kuro grinned. "Thats what I thought." He had no wish to destroy the stormcloaks, but he would certainly change their minds.

He didnt know that already powers were amassing in Skyrim, each powerful in their own right.  
_

Kenji grinned as his new castle was filled with Vampire Lords, each training or resting. In the short month which had come and gone since his hostile take over, everyone learned to respect their new lord, even Harkon. Serana had left permanently apparently, but Kenji didnt give a right damn. He genuinely told everyone that if they wanted to leave and live in peace, the were permitted, but they would have no power when he took over the country. If they acted out, they died, it was as simple as that. Only Serana had left, and that was before he even made that statement.

Kenji's new army had about one hundred vampire lords of all different races, even one Snow Elf, which just shouldnt be possible. However, apparently this particular snow elf hated Akatosh, so he understood. Too bad no dwemer were left, they could have been a great boon to Kenji's army, with their crafts. Even so, Kenji was happy with the progress. One hundred trained Vampire Lords could easily take over a city, which was a great change from the former group, which numbered less than twenty and were not trained to the fullest. Fortunately, some of the new Vampire Lords were necromancers and Vampires, so they had locations set up so that the castle wouldnt get too overcrowded. It wasnt surprising to Kenji. Necromancers needed bodies, and wanted power and immortality. Giving them all three at once sufficiently made them loyal. Vampires werent hard to convince, once they were informed if they joined up, they would not have to hide their vampirism.

Even so, Kenji still had a bad feeling. Skyrim was about to change on a massive scale, he could feel it. Perhaps he could use the Empire for his own means. It was then he divised a plan. He was going to send an offer to General Tulius. If Vampires would stop being persecuted, Kenji's army would help out with the war effort, informing the general that the Stormcloaks did not know that these vampires even existed.

If the general accepted his offer, then the Empire would have even less support, which would give Kenji the oppurtunity to swoop in and take it over, with his ever growing army. Of course it could take a long time, but that was nothing new. Vampires had plenty of time. _

Alex was in a strange position. Two visitors had come to whiterun, both saying they were just staying there for the chance to kill dragons. Generally, the two got along with the Companions, and were offered to join. Both denied, but asked if temporary housing was availible. Since then, no less than three dragons had been sighted, which gave Plague, Zane, Demetri, and Alex himself plenty to do. Plague and Zane teamed up for the first one, while Demetri and Alex got the second. Since the final dragon was an Elder Dragon, all four went to kill it, each returning with a few injuries, which were treated easily enough. Alex had to admit Plague was a cool guy, never serious, and always joking, though when he got hyper, Alex wanted to strangle him. Zane was interesting as well, acting emotionless, yet Alex noticed the faint changes in Zane's voice and eyes when he spoke, often filled with mirth. Demetri was something strange though. He was a mage and warrior combined, while Plague and Zane were both mages. Demetri was kind and a team player, which kinda freaked Alex out at first. Most mages were utter assholes, let alone breton mages, who were often arrogant as hell, yet Demetri was the opposite. Alex didnt even wanted to know what had changed between Demetri and other Breton mages.

The only problem was that right in front of whiterun, the Imperial army, and the Stormcloak army were fighting. Apparently they hadnt heard the official truce yet, which made his job much harder. That problem, in turn, created a much larger problem. Zane and Plague jumped at the chance to fight armies. Alex couldnt do anything since they were technically defending against enemies, and neither of them were truly part of the Companions. Alex had to remain neutral in it all because of his status. Both as Harbinger, and as Dragonborn. He still hadnt gone to the Greybeards yet, but he had duties to complete first, like the giant mess in front of him.

As it turns out, Zane is cruel and apathetic to his enemies. Plague didnt even seem to change when he killed his enemies, simply moving to the next one, until there was none left. Demetri stayed out of the fight because it went against his code, but he made no move to stop Zane or Plague. Zane used a branch of magic that Demetri had never heard of, using dark energies to cause destruction without branching into the actual school of Destruction. Plague used anything and everything he had, illusion, destruction, and apparently maces. The armies retreated when half of their forces had been taken down. Plague had went after the Imperial army, while Zane dealt with the Stormcloak army, both stopping when their enemies retreated.

Alex was nearly having a panic attack at how dangerous the situation could be for the entire hold. Both Tulius and Ulfric would be furious, making the situation delicate. Zane kindly suggested they just kill the two leaders and end it already. Plague's advice, however, was useful. Plague suggested he simply inform the two leaders that rogues had attacked the two armies indiscriminately, making sure to explain that no one but the two rogues had attacked the armies. It was more delicate than that, but Alex knew it should work.

Even so, he was stressed. He felt it, that annoying realization that the battle was only a demonstration of what was to come. Dragons or not, the world would descend into chaos, and there was little Alex could do about it. He would have to do his best to keep the war out of whiterun. Tulius and Ulfric were both too stubborn to cease the war for a few dragons, at least until a way to kill the source of the dragons was found, if even then. Tulius and Ulfric were both stuck in the past, too old and stubborn to see the truths laid bare before them. Alex knew better. Someone was going to shape this war to fit their own purpose. That much was obvious.  
_

Valheen and Zero were mercenaries. Zero was a nord, tall, strong, and mostly used melee. Valheen was an argonian who was a damn good thief. They had started their little partnership years ago, in Riften. Valheen was invited to the Thieves Guild, but refused, the same happened with Zero and the Companions. Fact was, both rather enjoyed the Mercenary life.

Valheen and Zero had recently traveled to Solitude, where it was reported that numerous necromancers were attempting to resurrect Potema. They put a halt to that plan rather easily. It was merely a coven of low level necromancers trying to accomplish a ritual far beyond their abilities. However, the spirit of Potema had not been sent back, it was freed. They reported their findings to the Jarl of Solitude, before heading off again, this time towards Morthal, which had rumors of vampire attacks.  
_

General Tulius stared at the letter in his hands, while his right hand woman spoke. "Id take the offer."

Tulius sighed. "Send this to the Emperor, see if he will agree to it. If he does, we take the deal, if he doesnt, we dont. Simple as that." The desperation to win this war had overridden his worries, which told him there was much more to all of this than there appeared to be. Even so, was it worth it? Vampires werent that bad, unless they went feral, which happened very rarely. With the Vampires coming out of hiding, they could be monitored so that no feral vampires existed anymore. If only there were a way to cure ferals...

A pair of red eyes stared with glee as the body in front of him rose from the portal he had summoned. In front of him was a dragon priest, a dragonborn at that. The dunmer shifted in place, as the golems and skeletons arround him stood still, knowing their master was helping with a ritual daedric in design. Miraak stared impassively at the man who helped him escape. "You obviously want something in return, spit it out."

"I want the world."

"...If I have Solstheim, you can have the rest." Miraak felt compelled to at least offer him that.

"We have a deal." 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Before you say anything, more than half the characters are not mine. In fact, I only made Kuro, the others were either made by people I know, or my friends. Although one in particular is based on my friend, but I made.

"So what exactly are your plans then?" The ancient voice echoed through the room.

"Resurrect the most powerful people possible then, quite simply, take over everything. It doesnt need to be complex to work, the simplest ideas are often the least expected and most well executed. The more steps in a plan, the more chances for your enemies to ruin it." The dunmer explained.

Miraak didnt know what to think of his saviour, although since he was unsure whether or not to explain that he technically never died, he had just been sealed into Hermaeus Mora's realm. Since his own goals coincided with this dunmer's, he would likely have no problems with him. Miraak was about to speak, but he was interrupted by his new partner's own speech.

"I already know. The rituals for resurrection and seal breaking are far too different for me not to have known, but then, you never got into necromancy, did you?" The dunmer's arrogant smirk annoyed Miraak, but he knew it fit. Anyone that young who held power in necromancy, enough for the small army around them, half of which were various styles of golems, deserved to be arrogant.

Golems were magical constructs which false souls sealed inside of them. They were a far more difficult branch of necromancy than simply reviving a skeleton. First, you had to gather the materials, then create a false soul, a souls which was made specifically to follow orders from its creator. Even then, implanting the false soul into the construct was far more difficult than simply reviving a skeleton. The main difference between golems and skeletons was a simple one. Skeletons were used to containing souls, but golems, made of inorganic materials, were not. It was why one of the easiest yet deadliest golems was the flesh golem, eerily similar to the Gatekeeper of the Shivering Isles. Oh yes, as Hermaeus Mora's 'champion'(bitch), he had visited more daedric realms than he had ever cared to, and the Gatekeeper was so similar to a Flesh Golem, Miraak had to ask. Probably one of the worst decisions of his life, considering how Sheogorath began to tell him, in the most disturbing way possible, how babies were made. Even the stoic Miraak couldnt sit through that.

In any case, they were difficult, plain and simple. The mere fact that this boy could create them was extraordinary. Miraak didnt bother to tell the young elf that he had studied each branch of magic he could while he was in Hermaeus Mora's realm. It didnt matter, and it was simple extra information. It could also help him out if the dunmer ever tried to betray him. "We never introduced ourselves. Let us now. I am Miraak, former dragon preist and dragonborn."

"I am Lucifer, follower of Manimarco's teachings." Okay, Miraak was interested. Of the souls he had met in his former master's realm, he had heard so much about Manimarco, yet he had never been able to find out anything spectacular about him, just some basic knowledge.

"Really? Would you mind sharing stories then?" Miraak suggested.

The dunmer grinned and nodded. Miraak had a feeling he would like this partnership very much.  
_

Kuro stood atop the mountain, the tallest mountain in skyrim, at the throat of the world. Below, he could see the armies marching forth, each town destroyed with fire and necromancy. It was a hellish sight. "This is what will happen."

Kuro turned towards the voice and smiled, seeing Azura. "It has been a while..." He didnt mean to come off as angry, but he knew he had. The regret in Azura's eyes made his anger stop flowing.

"It has... The flow of events toward this moment could not be altered." Azura explained.

Kuro sighed, but nodded. Dealing with future and past was never simple. "I am the only one of your chosen who does not have the sight, that is the reason, isnt it? The others are mostly shaman and tribals, not dealing with events as I do. They are easily swayed, but I am not, and unlike them, I have the power to shift events into the direction I choose."

Azura didnt answer, but that was an answer enough for Kuro to know the truth. "I blessed you with something far more potent. Do you understand how many would kill for a direct position of power in the Daedric realms?"

Kuro snorted. "Do you know how many would kill someone with a direct connection to the Daedra?"

Azura lowered her eyes, hating how Kuro turned the argument against her. "When you wake, you should not panic, you should not fight until Akatosh's chosen arrives."

Kuro narrowed his eyes. "Or else?"

Azura waved her arm, gesturing towards the ruined cities of skyrim.

Kuro frowned. "You know I dont give a damn about this place, whose to say I wouldnt like to see it burned?"

Azura smiled. "You may hide it even from yourself, but it does not escape my eyes... Have you found your goal yet?"

Kuro shook his head. "No... I am still undriven. Funny, an immortal who never wanted it, yet would never discard it."

Azura's kind smile turned into a knowing one. Oh yes, they both knew that she knew much more than he did, being a Daedric lord. "Mortal lives are so short, they often live for solely one purpose. You have had three in your life. You suceeded at two, and in less than twenty years at that. Saving Morrowind, and becoming so powerful, both at such a young age. Even a mortal life would not have been filled with adventure for those like you."

Kuro's frown twisted into an angry scowl. "I have met none like me."

Azura smiled before the dream started fading. "You will my champion, you will."  
_

Amina watched Kuro's body curiously. Throughout their trip, she had not seen the elf sleep even once. Strange, but considering said elf was literally from legends, she shouldnt be surprised. Even so, watching him sleep for the first time felt different. The usually guarded and deadly elf looked defenseless, as everyone did when they slept. Except, before, when Kuro had been unconscious on the Noble Isles, he had looked so dangerous, Rotul had been scared. Right now though, he seemed... at peace. She didnt fully understand what it meant, but he was the Champion of Azura, so perhaps he was more relaxed when he had a vision. That would probably explain it all.

Even so, she couldnt help but be amazed at how fragile he seemed in his sleep. She had seen him in action, and knew he could kill her easily, especially if he got back to full strength. Knowing that, it was pretty strange seeing the man who could kill almost anyone, at least she thought so, look so normal. When she heard a noise from outside, she got prepared to be attacked. She hated herself for it, but she couldnt wake Kuro for something so simple. It was probably just a few... bandits.

That thought was utterly shattered when she peeked outside the tent and saw a god damn army of Stormcloaks. Well, shit. She knew of their hatred for elves as a whole, and with Kuro being dunmer, she wouldnt risk leaving him alone to fight people who apparently did not know they were there.

"Come out! We know you are there!" Damnit.

Amina weighed her choices, before sighing. She went inside the tent to wake Kuro up, but was surprised to see him simply standing there. He looked... agitated, more so than she had seen before. Odd, all things considered. Kuro seemed silent, as normally when she woke up, he would greet her cheerfully, before teasing her on how mornings were just not her time of day. Apparently, Kuro was far worse than she was with mornings, if his current attitude was his usual mood for mornings.

He smiled at her, before moving out of the tent and towards the army. "What is it you want? Here I was, sleeping peacefully for the first time in years, suddenly an army pops up and wakes me up. Not very polite are you." Kuro knew he probably shouldnt be toying with them, but he was really annoyed. The fact that he wouldnt be able to fight them meant he could at the very least annoy them with his words.

"Shut up you imperial dog!" One of the younger ones yelled out, before being chided by the leader.

The leader, a tall nord with obvious diplomatic skills, turned to Kuro. "Come with us, our leader has requested your presence."

Kuro raised his eyebrow. "And who is this leader of yours?"

The leader smiled. "Youll see when we get there."

Kuro shrugged, before waving for Amina to come out. "Fine fine, let me just pack up. I dont feel like coming back."

After Kuro and Amin packed up their little tent, which caused some whispering and questions from the surprisingly non-hostile stormcloaks. Many commented on why there was only one tent, and Kuro struggled not to laugh. He was well over ten times Amina's age, and she would age far faster than he would, mostly because he would never age again. Corpus had made his body ageless, because it was a truly daedric disease. Even better, it was the Lord of Creation's disease, which Dagoth unleashed in hopes to gain loyal followers. Essentially, while most bodies had a limit on the number of times they could replicate cells, his did not, because his body literally created new cells, rather than dividing former cells. It made things much easier. Hell, it was half of what that made him as sharp as he was, although it came with something annoying. Since he could think so fast, he became bored incredibly fast as well.

The trip went uneventful, except for Amina's constant denial of the stormcloak's suggestions. It was hilarious in Kuro's mind, mostly because of his interactions with Curio, but it was still funny. The fact was, Amina was a noble Imperial who was barely 16 in age. Kuro, on the other hand, was a warrior, mage, and thief, who had started out as an orphan, prisoner, before becoming nearly a god to the people of his country. Oh he was not born in Morrowind, but much like true family, it is made with bonds rather than birth.

As the group came to the camp, Kuro was surprised at how many different races were actually part of the Stormcloaks. It was then he understood. This wasnt about Talos. This was about the Thalmor, killing anyone who questioned them. High elves, Dark elves, Wood Elves, Khajiit, Argonians, Redguards, Imperials, Bretons, and Orcs. Each race had plenty of people in the camp, though it was very likely they were discriminated against sometimes, it was probably a better life than what the Thalmor offered them.

The truth of the matter was shocking, yet it shouldnt be. The thalmor were without a doubt the worst immediate threat there was. The Daedra had no interest in taking over Tamriel anymore, not since that treaty. Akatosh was a stubborn one, but he would obey his own treaty, and the Daedra would not break it unless one of the Aedra did first, they were too arrogant to do so. On the other hand, most of the Aedra were too arrogant to interfere with mortal affairs. Of course, the treaty did not extend to Daedra or Aedra Champions. This meant if Kuro wished, he could take over the world for Azura, and no Daedra or Aedra could interfere, since he was not part of said treaty.

That being said, the Thalmor had no obstacle in their path. The Empire was sufficiently cowed, but the people were not. Some were tired of fighting, but some would rather continue fighting than submit to the Thalmor. It became clear as crystal to him. These people were not civilians, they had fought in the great war. The thought made him smile, seeing this, he believed he finally found what his goal was.

Upon seeing the leader of this camp, Kuro blinked, which was copied by the commander. "Eclipse?/Kuro?" The two dunmer laughed at each other.

"Holy hell, you have the magicka reserves of a child, and your muscle... damn, what happened?" Eclipse asked.

"Its a bit of a story, lets just say my trip was eventful and leave it at that." Kuro shrugged. He was not traumatized in the least.

"Ah, well when Plague and Zane arrived, I was rather surprised, but seeing you again is just wonderful. Speaking of, a man claiming to know you has been going around skyrim, looks like a nord, but a bit shorter. Fancies himself Vahzeen, you know him?"

Kuro was shocked that Plague and Zane survived. "Yeah, one of our friends from Akavir, an ally. You said Plague and Zane survived? Any idea where they are?"

Eclipse shook his head. "Not a clue. That Vahzeen guy is holed up in windhelm though, something about the least likely to be attacked province. Guys a bit insane, but not a bad guy I guess. Keeps entertaining people with his ideas of philosophy. Got a good head on his shoulders, but strange nonetheless."

Kuro chuckled, oh yes, that was Vahzeen. The man loved to talk. "I see, I see. Enough about that though, tell me about yourself, whats happened?"

"I take it you already know about the rebellion, and Great War, so Ill just skip that." Eclipse sighed. "After the shivering Isles incident, I retired for a bit, mostly traveling as a trader, but keeping my strength up. I dont know why, but whenever I thought about quitting my training, I saw visions of... hell. I cant explain it, but it was horrible. I think it was a vision from Akatosh as a warning to keep training. Either way, I made it all around the world, except for two places. Summerset Isles and Valenwood. The Thalmor had already banned me from entering the country. Black Marsh was a fun place to visit, thanks to that amulet I made so long ago. The Argonians were rather surprised when they got a visitor to their underwater cities, but they were friendly enough. After I traveled around, I decided to visit the Shivering Isles again, and as it turns out, some wood elf with blonde hair in a single spike was the new Sheogorath. Bastard is insane, but for some reason he practically worships me."

Amina was rather annoyed now, they had excluded her AGAIN. Divayth she could understand, but damn it she was worthy of talking to them! "Thats interesting and all, but why did you bring us here."

Eclipse chuckled. "Thats a good question. The main reason? To know where your loyalties lie. I sensed your presence and knew you two could be great additions to the war, or great spies. Now that I know who you are, Im hoping you will join us."

Amina was about to reprimand him, but a sharp glance from Kuro shut her up. He looked rather... annoyed, but happy at the same time.

"While I would love to, I am afraid I cannot."

"Oh? Why not, its not like you have any real threat to you." Eclipse joked. The look on Kuro's face stopped him. "You are joking... Fine. At least go to windhelm, see if you can do SOMETHING, as one of your oldest friends, I could use the help."

Kuro was about to say no, but Azura's words echoed in his mind. "I suppose I will."

"Look, I know we havent seen each other in years, but you know you can trust me. If this is something that can hurt you, then I need to know."

Kuro shook his head. "Azura. Not even I know right now, but I must find Akatosh's Chosen."

Eclipse blinked. "Ah, in that case, after you head to Windhelm, head over to Whiterun, Ive heard rumors, but nothing concrete. They say the Harbinger of the Companions is Dragonborn. If he is, he may just be who you are looking for. You might like Windhelm, Ive never seen dark elves and nords work in such harmony."

Kuro blinked. "What do you mean?"

Eclipse chuckled. "Well, when the erruption of Red Mountain happened, something protected most of the cities, not sure what. As the Great War came about, Morrowind became a popular place, since it was one of the few places where the war hadnt been in effect. However, since a few places were destroyed during the erruption, quite a few dunmer came into skyrim looking for a new start. Windhelm and Riften were the most popular choices, and both treat Dunmer pretty good as well. I imagine if the erruption had caused too much damage, the dunmer would have flooded to skyrim, overcrowding the cities, which would cause tension between the two races."

Kuro blinked. "I figured Nords and Dunmer had too much pride for that."

"Oh they did, but they were united in their hate of the Thalmor. I wont lie, quite a few nords hate Dunmer, but just as many are neutral, and a few are even supportive. So far, the Dunmer have been a big help in this civil war, probably one of the reasons that we havent lost yet honestly. Ulfric doesnt have any true strategist, part of the reason I was hoping you would join us. Even so, with so many different races and styles of combat, our armies are nearly impossible to predict. Reminds me of the old days, against Merhunes Dagon's forces, god those were fun times, not nearly as many people died as this war." Eclipse frowned.

Kuro sighed. "It was nice to see you again, and I dont promise anything, but Ill ask Ulfric about his cause, and see if the cause is worth joining."

Amina glared at the two who kept fucking ignoring her. "I dont think you remember, but my parents ARE Imperial nobles!" It wasnt quite loud enough to escape the tent they were in, but it was more than enough to get Kuro and Eclipse to focus on her. She then realized her mistake. "uh... oops?"

Eclipse raised his eyebrow. "Apprentice of yours? Or maybe you like them young?" Eclipse teased.

Kuro's eye twitched. "The fuck is with my friends and immediately assuming everyone I travel with is a fuck buddy of some kind? You guys did the exact same thing with Sheeva, and she was a preistess!" Amina was just about as irritated as Kuro was, but she actually showed it, with a deep frown, and a glare at Eclipse.

Eclipse laughed. "Its a game to us. We can never follow anything else you do, but when it comes to traveling, you are always alone, even when on a team. Knowing how little you actually interact with people, we just have to assume. Id be willing to bet you still havent found a girl for you." Seeing Kuro's twitching eye, Eclipse laughed.

"Have you?" Kuro glared at his old friend, the Champion of Cyrodiil.

That shut him up. He had been too busy traveling and fighting to settle down with anyone. The three stood quietly for a moment, before Kuro asked for a map, and the two left.

Eclipse sighed. "I hope he is ready for what awaits..." Eclipse shrugged before getting back to work with his division of the Stormcloaks.  
_

Serana had hidden from everyone. She knew who she needed to see. After searching for days on end on books about legendary but still living figures, she knew who she needed. She thought Kenji would be different, but he was far worse than Harkon. On the other hand, Kenji had expressed no desire to capture her so far. She was safe... for the moment. Though it was difficult to travel the roads of skyrim unnoticed, she managed to make it near Whiterun without incident. Yes, one person who she needed to beat Kenji and end the damned quest for power that Vampire Lords seemed to travel. Male ones, at least. She had never wanted power, nor had her mother. She was too kind hearted for any of that nonsense. So it made her wonder what she truly wanted. Did she honestly want her family back? No, Harkon was insane and her mother cared just as little.

As she wandered towards Whiterun though, she came accross a strange sight. A woman, in her twenties, was sitting and petting the nearby animals. It wouldnt be a big shock, but said breton was not petting dogs or rabbits. No, she was petting a bear and wolf. Both were usually hostile to anything that wasnt an animal. She found it odd, and the woman noticed her, waving at her.

Serana approached the strange woman cautiously. The animals didnt attack her, too calmed by the breton's sheer presence. Serana opened her 'mind eye', which was basically a more enhanced version of sensing magic, and was shocked to discover the Breton woman had plenty of magicka, but it felt natural, as if tied to Nature itself.

The woman smiled at the vampire before her, which freaked the vampire out even more. "Hello there. You wouldnt happen to be visiting Whiterun, would you?" The woman seemed calm and peaceful, but Serana had never felt more on edge. Whoever this person was, she did not want to get on the wrong side. It wasnt the sheer power, which Harkon could have easily outmatched, it was more of how the woman could use said power. "I am Alice, what is your name, my dear vampiress?"

Serana now understood why this woman set her on edge. She was insane. It wasnt apparent through her words, except perhaps labeling her a vampire before she spoke, but the feeling around her was not something Serana wanted to test. "I am Serana... and yes, I am visiting Whiterun, why do you ask?"

"I was going to visit soon, I figured having a traveling partner would be fun." There was a glint in Alice's eye that put Serana even more on edge, but she fought that down. She was a pureblood vampire, and a damn powerful one at that. She would not be cowed by a simple feeling.

Serana nodded. "Very well, I wouldnt mind the company." Oh she would regret that.  
_

Kuro sighed as he finally arrived in Windhelm. Amina had decided to head straight to Whiterun, which he was worried about. He couldnt admit it, but the girl had grown on him, almost like a student. Perhaps he could teach her some magic and swordsmanship when he reunited with her. She did have skill in restoration magic, if his theory was right.

The moment he entered the city, he was rather surprised to see Dunmer and Nords getting along so well. In his day, it was rare to see the two races even neutral to each other, let alone polite. Hell, they werent even distant like he thought they would be. Perhaps there was hope for it to start again... It didnt matter at the moment.

He made his way to the stupidly large building on the norther side of the city, and entered the building, knowing Ulfric would be there. He did not expect to hear a conversation.

"If by that, you mean shoving a sword through his gullet."

"Ive already told you, I will not kill someone simply because they dont want to join in this war. So long as Balgruuf stays neutral, he will have no trouble with us, to attack him would waste men, and it would instantly make him side with the Empire. Besides, right now, there is a truce, we cannot break it, we would prove ourselves dishonorable and lose consideration for our cause."

"Im telling you Ulfric, no good will come of this."

"If anything happens, I trust you to handle it, but no attacking whiterun."

"Even to capture those two who decimated our army?"

Ulfric glared at his friend. "No. It was your own damn decision to send that army, and they were merely defending Whiterun, if the reports are correct. Lets not forget they targeted both sides. And you honestly want to antagonize them?" Sometimes he swore his friend got less intelligent every passing month.

Kuro stepped forward, and Ulfric finally noticed the dunmer. "Only a fool or the brave approach the Jarl without a summons, do I know you?"

Kuro grinned. "Maybe indirectly. I am sure youve heard a few legend of me from the sheer amount of dark elves in this city. I am Kurokon Shikyo."

Ulfric's eyes widened considerably. From what the dunmer who he spoke with had said about this man, he could very likely win the war singlehandedly, if he chose to do so. The sad truth was that all branches of combat had weakened on average from when this man had been in his prime. "I see... I am Ulfric Stormcloak, why are you here?"

Both Kuro and Ulfric ignored the man complaining about how Ulfric handled Kuro being too polite. "An old friend sent me, suggested I see if I can help."

Ulfric grinned, knowing what a boon this man could be. "Very well, but before we get into that, Ive heard rumors, and as an old man with a few doubts of my own, I must ask... did you meet him?"

Kuro nodded. "Acted like an old man and gave me a lucky coin, but I didnt talk to him much, being in a rush. Now, onto business. I will not, as you probably expected, bend my knee to you. I have killed too many people claiming themselves gods to care about titles. I will not participate directly in the war, until I meet with someone in particular. However, I heard you lack a strategist. In that case, I wouldnt mind being called upon for advice, as an ally, and perhaps a friend."

Ulfric smiled, genuinely hoping it would be so. Kuro had something that he originally thought Dunmer lacked. It was that sense of honor, but it went deeper than that. He held honor, but there was something else in him that Ulfric respected. All the stories and records of Kuro had pointed out how he was an orphan, origianly weak in everything, yet each time he arrived at a challenge, he broke his own limits and proceeded to break his opponent. Rising above challenges like that, Ulfric knew Kuro was respectable, he hoped Kuro would find him just as respectable. "Very well, I agree to these terms. You will be an unofficial part of the war effort, so no one will be able to even assume to order you around, and the Imperial spies will not know of this."

Kuro nodded in thanks. "By the way, before I go, do you have any idea where I could get some Grand Soul Gems? I need to enchant a few items." After receiving directiongs to Ulfric's Court Mage, Kuro met him, bought some soul gems, and left Windhelm without notice. It was time to begin.  
_

Amina yawned as she stretched. That ride in the wagon from Windhelm had been strangely exhausting, even though she hadnt really moved much. It had lasted nearly a month, with various stops in towns, which usually involved her getting a room and sleeping until the wagon was ready to move again. As she approached the gates towards whiterun, she heard two females bickering.

"I dont care! I did NOT mean it like that!"

"You said we should sleep together, what was I supposed to think?"

"WE ONLY HAD ONE TENT!"

"You should be clearer next time, then."

Amina decided not to even bother, as she seriously did not want to know, and moved into the city, before the Vampire and Druid followed.

As she wandered around, she decided to check out the Legendary Companions. She had heard of them from Rotul, but to see them in person would be so much more interesting! Perhaps she could even challenge one to a spar.

When she entered the building, she was pleasantly surprised to find a few different people fighting unarmed. In Morrowind, being unarmed meant nothing, but most people couldnt use their body as a weapon like the dunmer could. Admittedly, Khajiit and Argonians were the two who had actual fist fighting styles, while Dunmer quite simply practiced simple moves and let the user flow into a rythm based on what felt right, rather than set styles.

She had learned just a bit during her time in Morrowind, but she was decent enough to fight journeymen. Even so, the fighting that the companions were using was nothing special, not even kicking. Probably thought kicking would be too slow to be effective, if only they knew.

"Hello there, what brings you to Jorrvaskr?"

To her credit, she did not scream. She was however, surprised when a Khajiit popped up out of nowhere and nearly killed her with a heart attack. "Ah... I was just hoping for a spar, honestly." She spoke sheepishly.

Alex laughed. "Youve come to the right place, then. Farkas has been wanting a spar with someone for a while now, but he hasnt met anyone who uses claymores like him." Alex looked at her giant dragonbone sword. "Nice sword, by the way, Im Alex."

"Amina." She grinned. Something about Alex reminded her of Kuro. Maybe it was just the carefree attitude they both seemed to have, but she had a bad feeling she was wrong about that, and that something more complex was at work.

"Farkas! I think I finally found you a sparring partner." Alex called out, which ended the fighting between the Dunmer and arrogant female nord.

Farkas wandered towards the Harbinger and the petite girl next to him. "You are joking."

Amina's eye twitched. "Oh HELL no." She grabbed Farkas by the collar of his steel armor and dragged, literally, him outside. Farkas tried to break her grip, but he couldnt get a good footing.

Amina let go of him when she reached the sparring area. Most of the companions, and a few others, had come to watch. Farkas shrugged it off pretty easy, apparently not caring about being dragged like that. "You are stronger than you look." He noted.

"I trained." Amina retorted, not knowing Farkas was genuine. Vilkas, meanwhile, was close to thrashing the girl for being mean to his kind hearted brother, but knew it was probably something Farkas said, and Farkas probably hadnt understood.

Farkas chuckled, before pulling his claymore off his back, and charging at the girl, knowing better than to underestimate her now.

Amina pulled her own sword off her back, and swung downward at Farkas, who immediately slid to the right. He was rather shocked when the blade stopped half way towards the ground, before it swung around nearly hitting him.

"That move... Its a famous dunmer moveset." Plague noted to the rest of the companions, who had never seen it before.

Vilkas raised his eyebrow "Whats so special about it?"

"Have you ever tried to stop your sword an inch before it hit someone?" Zane sarcastically asked. Vilkas shut up, knowing any verbal match against either of the two foreigners was pointless.

Farkas had heard it though, and he had to admit he was excited. Farkas slid back, before doing a dash forward, and thrusting his enormous blade towards Amina with one hand. Amina instantly blocked, before pushing it off her own blade, and taking a strike at Farkas.

Demetri whistled. "Not bad, she is definitely good. They seem to be pretty even though." Even though Farkas didnt use a style, he was fast, and strong enough to block or evade the incoming blows.

The two traded blows for some time, neither scoring any deep hits, blocking most of them.

Both were exhausted by the time they decided to call it quits. There was a bit of respect between the two now, the kind that only forges in battle. Amina didnt know it, but her adventures with the companions would change even more over the next few days.  
_

Serana had just finished explain her request to the leader of the werewolves, Alex. She hoped for their help against Kenji, so she explained everything. The general trust between the two was mostly because if one revealed that the other was a vampire/werewolf, the other could do the same. Even though most would not believe that Alex was, due to his status.

Alex sighed deeply at the predicament. "Join us and we will protect you, but we cannot get involved until this Kenjiro makes his move, otherwise we will lose support, and that will mean less people willing to help us in the fight. I hope in time that both Vampires and Werewolves can live in peace with the other races, and perhaps this is our chance. I am no strategist though, we need someone special for that."

Serana nodded. "I agree. Hunting with your pack will get me ready. As for a strategist... I have no clue who could outwit all those ancient vampires."

Amina, who had overheard the two, but kept hidden, came out of hiding and grinned at the two. "I may have an idea, but Im unsure if he will agree to it."

Alex was annoyed that the girl had the gall to eavesdrop, but nodded. "If you are sure about him. Farkas trusts you, and I trust his judgement, but so help me, if you or this man you trust so well harms any of my friends, I will kill you."

Alex didnt use magicka, but Amina could feel his feel for that brief moment. She deeply hoped Kuro got along with this man, as if the two fought... Whiterun might end up as a crater. She nodded, a bit nervous.

Serana smiled slightly. "As for your werewolf personality resurfacing, I think I know someone who may help with that. Who was it you said was resurfacing?"

Alex sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Everyone, even me. Something is stirring the wolves up, and I dont know what. If you can help calm them, I would be grateful."

Serana nodded, knowing she would hate dealing with Alice, but she could be the perfect person given the situation, even with her various faults. Woman was perverted as hell, and probably bisexual, but damned if she didnt calm people down effectively. Even Serana's bloodlust, which she easily controlled over the years, seemed to vanish when near Alice, she only hoped the feral wolves would do so as well. 


	4. Chapter 4

"The plan was simple enough, sneak in, talk to the Necromancer and his followers, if they join, turn them, if they dont, kill them. So tell me. WHERE THE FUCK DID I SAY REVEAL YOURSELF TO A MAGE?!" Kenji roared at the cowering vampire before him.

"my, my Lord, the necromancer was too powerful for me to have noticed the mage." The mean squeaked out, his voice damaged from Kenji holding him up by his throat.

"I dont give a damn. Hell, I dont even blame the mage. No, this is all your fault. See, if you had just went with the plan rather than exchange chat with him before killing him, this wouldnt have happened. Shit, if you had bothered to SNEAK in rather than bust down a god damn wall, he might have never noticed." Kenji snarled, before twitching his wrist, snapping the man's neck. He dumped the body on the floor, before turning to the assembled vampires. "What the hell are you all doing? This dumbass got us revealed to the world, now we will have to deal with things far too early for my liking."

Kenji was thankful they had managed to convert a bit over three thousand people into Vampire Lords. About five hundred former vampires, five hundred former necromancers, while the rest were just power hungry mortals who could be used sufficiently. Glancing at his assembled 'generals', for lack of a better term, he was proud. The fact was, two months ago, none of these people could have challenged Harkon. As it was, each of his generals was more powerful than harkon used to be. In truth, Harkon was still much better now, but he had been training just as much. Whether due to his damaged pride, or fear for his life, Kenji didnt know. Not that he cared, it was simply observations made to pass the time.

Harkon stepped forth, proving to still be the second most powerful vampire in Kenji's army. Granted, most of the new recruits were weak, but that was to be expected. "My lord, have the plans changed any?"

Kenji sighed, this was going to be a pain. "Yes, unfortunately. We have enough men to take a city. My original planned involved capturing cities and turning everyone who wanted to live into Vampire Lords, under our command. Then we would have turned around and destroyed the empire, once the Stormcloaks were gone. As it is... I have a new plan. Harkon, I want you to take two hundred fifty soldiers to Solitude."

"My lord?"

"When the city is yours, come back to me. Since our presence has been revealed, we can be more active." _

Amina frowned. Kuro had visited Jorrvaskr, and spoken to nearly everyone, but barely to her. She had been ignored. Again. If she was honest, she was both angered and saddened. Angered because she loathed being ignored, but saddened because she felt like Kuro didnt see her as worthy enough for whatever he was planning. It was infuriating, but she had to look up to him, if just for his power. The sad fact was, Kuro was impressive, and she wanted to be able to impress even him.

"Something on your mind?" She heard from beside her on the bench in Jorrvaskr. Aela had just sat down apparently.

"I dont like it, being ignored." Aela chuckled at Amina's response.

"He is probably just protecting you." Aela shrugged.

"What... do you mean?" Amina was rather confused at that. Kuro didnt seem protective of her, hell whenever they came accross any bandits in their travels, Kuro often let Amina deal with them, so why would he suddenly turn protective now? Admittedly, Kuro had been training the entire time, so his magicka had grown to enormous levels, that of a seasoned sorcerer. Before it was that of a prodigy, but the jump between then and now was enormous. It was rather funny when the Court Mage noticed Magicka levels far above his own in the hall of warriors.

Aela sighed. "Have you ever seen someone you love die?"

Amina shook her head.

"Have you ever been in a large battle?"

"Well, when we were traveling, we ran accross a group of over thirty bandits, so I suppose."

"No, I mean the type of battle trained soldiers are in, not some bandits. Bandits are only dangerous to civilians, they are still fodder to any trained soldier."

Amina looked down at that. It made her biggest accomplishment drawing with Farkas. It was not a pleasant feeling.

"However... you arent weak." Amina looked up at Aela, glad there was someone in Jorrvaskr that was able to understand her. "Look, when I was your age, Skjor, my mentor, acted very similar to Kuro acts to you. He doesnt appear protective, does he?" Amina shook her head. "Then I want you to look at it this way, when has he actually stepped in?"

Amina thought about it for a minute. The first time they came accross a bandit camp, Kuro had destroyed it himself, but that was just him wanting to stretch his legs, so to speak. She couldnt remember when he had actually stepped in. "I... he never has."

Aela nodded. "I see, I take it most of what you two have encountered so far has been bandits?" Seeing Amina's nod, Aela continued. "He trusts you to be able to deal with bandits then. I probably shouldnt tell you this, but... what Kuro's been telling us isnt friendly, its bloody and dangerous even for us. There is something out there which Kuro does NOT want you to face."

"I can help!"

Aela sighed. "Can you honestly say that? If it makes even your Mentor nervous, imagine how powerful it must be. He doesnt want to see you hurt. I dont know your relationship with him, nor his with you, but I can tell he doesnt want you to die. I would trust his judgement, and let him worry about whatever it is. For now, you should train, so that eventually you can help him as equals."

Amina felt a bit guilty at sulking over something like that, but nodded. It was also funny how Aela mentioned her viewing Kuro as an equal. She didnt think she could ever reach that height, or that age. If she had thoughts like that, they were broken soon enough because of just how Kuro did everything. He held that certain power in everything he did, even just walking or talking. It honestly made her feel a bit unimportant. She sighed, but nodded at Aela. "Yeah... thanks by the way."

Aela stood smiling at the younger girl. "Your welcome... You remind me of myself at your age, so let me tell you something I should have been told so many years ago. Never take anything for granted."  
_

Kuro grinned at Plague and Zane. "Holy hell its been a long time! How did you guys escape?"

Plague grinned "We managed to overhear that they had killed you, probably a planned conversation now that I think about it, and naturally we were angry. Needless to say, Akavir will be missing that building, and the boat we stole."

Kuro chuckled. "Right." Kuro became serious at that, his smile gone, and the 'Lord' attitude in place. "We have a much larger problem at the moment. The Akaviri are not keen to visiting Tamriel again. However... Have either of you heard of Vampire Lords?"

Plague shook his head, but Zane frowned slightly. "Among ancient Vampires, there was a myth. Said myth was about the progenerators of the vampires of today. These 'Vampire Lords' had secondary and more powerful forms. These forms were like giant hairless bats with arms. It is said that these vampires are pureblood vampires, made directly from either Molag Bal, or from another vampire lord. The myths about how they created the current vampires involved having children with the ten different races, along with those that are currently extinct, but previously common, such as Dwemer and Falmer. Why?"

"Because there is an army of them, last seen near solitude."

Plague's eyes widened. "LOC?"

"seven."

Plague sighed. Level Of Combat, or LOC, was a code they had developed in Akavir. One was a basic bandit, but ten was the combined might of two or more Daedric Champions. Not someone who simply gianed the Daedra's favor, but the type who, like Kuro, had been blessed by their specific Daedra from birth. The highest threat level Akavir caused was a six, to have a seven on their own continent was... frightening, even if no one showed it.

Alex spoke up. "So what do you propose we do?"

Kuro was about to answer, but saw the glint in Plague's eye. Oh no, he finally found an enemy he wished to test himself against.

"It should be obvious that Kuro was seen, if only in hindsight. That being known, it is very likely, if anything that Serana has told us is true, which I believe it is." Plague nodded at Serana, who smiled slightly. "Then we can expect this Kenjiro to attack Solitude, with maybe a tenth of his power. If any reports Ive heard are true, that means about three hundreds and fifty soldiers at most. Solitude is the closest city, and wont get any reinforcements in time, unless someone in the Empire sees the threat and understands. Considering no one but us even knows about the threat..." Plague trailed off, knowing the outcome would prove obvious.

Vilkas frowned in thought. "Then what do we do?"

Kuro snorted, standing from the table they were all sitting at. "I thought that would be obvious. We take the fight to them. Zane, Plague, I want you two to set up vampire specific traps around Solitude, you should know the placement better than anyone." He pointed at Alex. "Alex, I need you and your Companions on the front lines, with Aela providing support with her bow. Get your weaker members to guide everyone out of the city if you think you cant hold the Vampires back, even if it costs revealing yourself as werewolves." Kuro turned to Vilkas. "Vilkas, Farkas, Ive heard you two are great at teamwork, that right?" The two nodded. "Good, you two should be on the forefront, making sure no Vampire passes through Solitude's gates. I have an ally who may come to help, he will most likely bring a stormcloak army with him, so do not attack any stormcloaks you see."

Alex frowned. "Do you know what you are asking?"

"I know Im asking a lot, leaving the city unprotected for the most part. That was why I was about to suggest you leave any members who arent werewolves here, with Amina. Together, there is no doubt they can take down any Dragon threat that lurks nearby." Alex nodded, it was the best he was likely to get without indirectly causing Solitude's fall. "I will not lie, this will very likely be the most dangerous thing any of you have ever done, but I trust in you." Kuro turned without another word, and walked out of the room, the weight of the world showing itself on his shoulders.

Alex glanced at Kuro, then turned to Plague. "You spoke of LOC earlier? What is that?"

Plague sighed at having to explain it. "Basically, the threat level. We came up with it back in Akavir, but it changed over our years there.

One is a mere bandit level threat, easily beaten by nearly anyone.  
Two is about as dangerous as a few giants, two or three.  
Three is about the same danger as an Ancient Dragon.  
Four is taking on a city on your own, guild and all.  
Five was the level of the Oblivion Crisis.

Now come the more deadly ones.

Six is like facing down five Ancient Dragons on your own, with many fodder units as distraction.  
Seven is a continental threat.  
Eight is similar to fighting five trained guilds at once.  
Nine is dealing with a false god, such as Vivec, Almalexia, Sotha Sil, or Dagoth Ur.  
Ten is the absolute might of two Daedric Champions, full powered." Plague Explained.

"Hold on, how are two Daedric Champions more dangerous than Vivec, the man who taught the entire island of vvardenfell to breathe underwater?" Aela asked curiously.

"Have you ever fought someone blessed by a Daedra?" Zane asked.

"Yeah, plenty of times." Aela shrugged.

"No, comparing them to a Daedric Champion would be like comparing a dragon to a bandit. They are mere fodder for the Daedra, while their true Champions are generals." Plague explained solemnly.

Farkas scratched his head. "Isnt Kuro one of them?"

Plague barked out a laugh. "Oh yes, but also more. Even so, his power has dwindled so much he is an ant compared to his former self. Right now, Im sure most people in this room could beat him. In his prime however, we would be fodder before him."

Alex was interested. "Can you tell us more about him in his prime?" It appeared everyone, even Serana wanted to know, as no one moved.

Plague looked at Zane, who shrugged. "I suppose so. Does everyone here know the legend about him?" Seeing their negatives, they went on to explain about just how powerful Kuro had once been. No one noticed, or those who did simply didnt care, but Amina was eavesdropping, and managed to get away before anyone noticed.  
_

Miraak sighed again. Lucifer, the dunmer who helped him escape, was an interesting man, easily more powerful than Miraak, but not nearly as sane. That was saying something as Miraak was pretty sure his time with Hermaeus Mora was more than damaging to his mind. Even so, the dark elf with an oddly Imperial name was not one he would care to battle. Miraak had resurrected several dragons, impressing Lucifer, if just slightly. So far, everyone on Solstheim except for people in three places, were his slaves. Raven Rock was protected by several unknown wards, so his influence barely touched anyone there. Even so, most people there were weak willed enough to allow him to make them forget about him. Neloth's tower held so much potential magicka that Miraak couldnt even hope to influence any of them. However, the Skaal village was blessed by... something. Miraak wasnt sure WHAT, but something had blessed that village so his influence went right through it, yet never affected any inside of it. It was intriguing.

Even with all those set backs, his own plans were moving at a marvelous rate. Soon he could be powerful enough to destroy Alduin, as was his destiny. He would much rather have Alduin as an ally, but the dragon was too prideful for Miraak to have him as an ally, the damn dragon would never accept a human as an equal. Perhaps Lucifer would be able to help Miraak resurrect Alduin as a servant, which would make their combined plans that much easier. If not, then it was no great loss. Alduin was powerful, the most powerful of the Dovah, at least to most. Miraak knew better, though. Alduin was merely the start of something much more dangerous. He didnt know what, but taking Alduin out was certainly the top of his to-do list. Too much of a threat, not enough of an ally.

Even so, what would happen to all the dragons Alduin had most likely resurrected? Miraak had no idea if they would ever be willing to follow him. Sure, a few wouldnt care, once he killed Alduin at least. The others would likely try to kill him, in their denial and arrogance, unless Alduin had become even more hostile to his own people while Miraak was gone. In all honesty, Miraak was more powerful than Alduin, but he was easily swayed, compared to the hulking arrogant and stubborn beast. It was that which caused him to be sealed. Hermaeus Mora sought Miraak as his Daedric Champion, and made a deal. Miraak would get insane knowledge if he acted on Mora's behalf. It was a great deal at first, but in the end it caused him to get sealed.

His musing were cut short by Lucifer. "So it is starting already... earlier than I was told, but not unprecedented." Lucifer turned to Miraak. "Gather your army, dragons and all. We need to hurry now, events are spiraling towards the collision too fast to dawdle. We are headed to Solitude, immediately." Miraak nodded and went to do as he was told. Once he was gone, Lucifer turned towards the black wall, before grinning. "Not long now, master..."  
_

Harkon was no fool. The moment his stealth troops set off various fire and sun based traps, he knew their army was expected. Though the thought that made him feel actual fear was the fact that it wasnt the guards. No, these traps were made proffesionally. Dawnguard? Possibly, but unlikely, they prefer direct combat after all, which was hilarious considering the vast difference between Vampire Lords and mere mortals. On the other hand, these traps had taken out well over half his stealth troops, which meant he had already lost a fifth of his army. It also meant whoever had been expecting them was smart and tricky. Harkon was no fool, you dont stay a lord of a castle filled with power hungry vampires without having at least some cunning. He knew what would be expect, they were not expecting a frontal attack, judging from the lax attitude of the guards, no they expected either to have the traps works completely and decimate the incoming army enough for them to be forced to retreat. Harkon did what he expected they did not think he would do.

The large army of already transformed Vampire Lords had charged the gate, decimating the guards and destroying the gate. He faintly noticed an alarm going off, but it was so late that it didnt matter. They were halfway inside the city when arrows began raining down upon them. Most of them survived, but some had dangerous injuries, while others were powerful enough to shrug it off with their thick hides. Harkon watched as three people descended upon them, all three obviously companions. However, one was already in werewolf form, that disgusting bestial form that Harkon loathed. As one would expect, Harkon charged at the werewolf, and the two most powerful bestials began to battle.  
_

Vilkas and Farkas were tearing through the hordes of vampire lords, though they were tiring quickly. Fighting this many enemies was not a piece of cake.  
_

Aela was simply raining arrows down upon the vampires, from one of the taller towers in the city.  
_

Kuro was launching spell after spell at the demonic forces which could not withstand his magical might.  
_

Harkon did not know it, but he was being watched. Kenji had followed him directly, wishing to see if all the training of his vampires had paid off. The fact that his fodder vampires were being slaughtered was no shock. He didnt like it, but he could feel the powers of those in the city. His eye was on two specific people though. Kuro and Alex. Plague and Zane were next in line, but they werent like Kuro and Alex. Kenji could feel that. Those two could be very dangerous to his plans.  
_

What no one noticed was a masked figure watching the scene through an invisibility spell. The figure was smirking behind his golden mask. His master's chance was finally at hand!  
_

"We have gathered here today to discuss the events going on in the mortal realm." Hermaeus Mora spoke.

"We know, just get to the damn point!" Molag Bal snarled.

"Dont you dare get angry, it is YOUR race which caused this!" Boethiah pointed out.

Surprisingly, Sheogorath was the voice of reason. "Enough. This is more important than your petty squables."

Azura nodded. "Far beyond something like that. The fact is, if our plan does not work, we will all perish, even the Aedra. If HE is resurrected, it will all be over."

Merhunes Dagon was silent, strangely, but he was conflicted. On one hand, he didnt want to die, on the other it was a change, which he liked. Many of the Daedra and Aedra were just as silent.

"What of your champion?" Talos spoke up.

"He is far too weakened. That is one of the reasons I called this council meeting." Azura spoke. There hadnt been a group council between the Aedra and Daedra, or hell just the full group of Daedra ever since Lorkhan's Heart had been used by the Tribunal.

"Which need I remind you, is part of the reason this event is possible." Akatosh spoke evenly, one of the less emotional of the council. "We need not discuss what will happen, we all already know. The problem is how to counteract such an event."

Nocturnal glared at everyone. "This is your fault. Each and every one of you has had incredibly powerful Champions who could have been used to stop this before it even began! I am the only person here without a Champion, nor have I ever had one. Yet you all presume to include me in the fixing of YOUR mistakes?"

Azura leveled Nocturnal with a glare of her own. "If you wish to point fingers, the only person directly responsible for this is Akatosh, and I suppose you would point it out? Your response to the transgressions would have been the same, if not worse."

Akatosh spoke once more. "It is my fault. However, I have put forth motions to solve it long ago, yet I was constantly blocked by all of you. If HE is revived he will take the place of the void. Need I remind you the void is docile and flowing, not directly intervening except with certain groups. Do not forget, however, regardless of how peaceful the void is, it is also infinite. If HE took its place, none would survive. Alduin was my original creation, made for a similar purpose, however we would have survived, as beings far above Alduin. HE, however, is above most of us, and if he takes the place of the void, he will be above all of us."

Sheogorath finally spoke again. "I believe it is time for the secondary plan to come into effect." Murmurs broke out amongst the two divine groups, each debating the results of their secondary plan.

Azura shook her head. "NO! Look, we have well over five champions in play, if they can reach full potential, even HE will be unable to defeat them." It was truthful, most Daedra werent meant to battle, they were meant to have control over their specific domains, each becoming more powerful when their domains became more influential. It was why Akatosh and Sheogorath were the two most powerful dieties. Time never ceased, and Madness only grew over time. However, Daedric Champions were truly limitless, given time. It was only a matter of getting enough time for them to train.

Hermaeus Mora's rumbling voice echoed in the chamber. "We still have many months before the event happens. If the event takes place, we go with the secondary plan, any objections?"

Of course, there were none.  
_

AN: Short Chapter, I know, but next chapter is the big one, with a lot of fights and plot advancement. 


	5. Chapter 5

The set up was simple, but effecient. The group had made it to Solitude long before Harkon would. While Plague and Zane set up traps, Alex spoke to the Jarl of Solitude. With his status of Harbinger, it wasnt hard to get an emergency meeting. The hard part was convincing Elisif that the danger was great enough for Solitude to evacuate. Eventually, Alex managed to convince her to get everyone out of the city, and down to the docks. Elisif agreed that, if the army was dangerous enough, everyone would leave for Morthal, Dawnstar, and Windhelm, from there, they would take carriages wherever they needed to go. It wasnt the best evacuation, but they had gone.

After that, when Zane and Plague finished the traps, they recieved a few soldiers who were there to defend. Not many, maybe ten altogether. Either way, they would work. Plague crafted two simple illusions of guards in front of the gates, so they wouldnt suspect anything. Demeteri and Kuro helped with that, making it beyond realistic. After everyone got into position, they expected to barely have thirty minutes, instead, they had ten. The moment they heard the traps go off, they were ready for an all out war.

Alex had decided to forgo his bow for this, having Demetri and Aela on some of the higher towers, raining arrows on their foes. Instead, Alex was in wolf form, which still felt odd. He would have to remember to get Serana to talk to whoever she spoke of before, when they got back, or IF they even got back. By the look of the invaders, this would be a difficult fight. Even so, Alex would never back down. Especially not in his wolf form.

As it turns out, Werewolves have three things that make them absolute nightmares to vampires. For one, unlike Vampires, they had extremely thick hides, making those vampiric claws nearly pointless against him. His claws, however could slice through those vampires easily. And of course, the sheer speed of the werewolf. It is commonly known that werewolves are physical, where Vampires are mostly magical. They both have some skill on the other side, but they specialized in these things as a whole.

As Alex tore through the legions of vampires, his own strength was beginning to wane. No doubt, he just needed to catch his second wind. Doing the smartest thing possible, since he couldnt exactly eat a corpse, or potion during the middle of a combat zone, he retreated momentarily. He was cornered by the vampires, who paused to revel in the wolf finally going down, if only for a second. That second was all that Alex needed.

He lunged forward, throwing his claws forward, and ripping through most of the vampires, but one managed to block his way. Even though neither could talk in their forms, they nodded towards each other, a sign of respect for a fellow warrior. Had they been in human form, they would have told each other their names, before battling it out. As it was, they were both unable to speak, so a mere nod was the only thing they could do.

Alex and the vampire before him, Runiik, not that Alex knew his name, paused momentarily, before dashing at each other. Alex was surprised at this, but not much. Runiik was obviously a warrior, so he would not use as much magic as most vampires. Ironic how magic was feared more, yet strength was just as deadly. Regardless, he thoroughly shocked when the vampire matched him blow for blow, both tying with speed and strength, which meant Alex was at a disadvantage, if Runiik was casting magic. Fortunately for Alex, Runiik was a strict warrior.

The blows quickened, with Alex's claws cutting lightly, and Runiik's claws doing similar. It was odd, but Runiik was more of a werewolf than a vampire. Something was off, and Alex was curious as to what it was. Alex slid back as Runiik pushed forward, before rolling back onto the ground and kicking Runiik into the air. Unfortunately, those tiny wings on the back of vampire lords DID help with falls, so Runiik did not fall as fast as Alex had planned, meaning his planned attack would be fruitless. Instead, Alex waited for Runiik to land, before pouncing on him again.

Runiik blocked the strikes, but that was the exact thing that Alex wanted. Instead of pushing his body forward to struggle against Runiik, Alex leaned his head forward, before letting loose the loudest howl he could, right in Runiik's ear. The poor vampire screamed as his enhanced hearing worsened the affects of Alex's howl. Alex wasted no time. In the brief second that Runiik was distracted, he stabbed his claws directly into Runiik's throat, turning that scream into nothing more than gurgles.

Alex took a moment to regain his breath, before noting that most of the vampires were gone. His allies must have done their work faster than him.  
_

Most of the assembled group were still fighting. Plague and Zane had run off earlier, taking the weaker but numerous vampires. Even though a challenge was fun, numbers were more so. Aela had not stopped her rain of arrows. Farkas and Vilkas had joined Plague and Zane, making the four have the highest kill count. Kuro was doing something no mage should ever do. He was doing similar to Alex, right out in the field, launching spell after spell at the incoming vampires, his magic overpowering their own.

He reminded himself to watch it, and to drink plenty of magicka potions. Even in his weakened state, his magic was something to be feared. As he glanced around the empty area, he began to notice the Vampires were starting to overpower his allies. With a bit of magicka, he jumped to where Aela was, before taking a seat. "Buy me some time." He informed her.

Aela simply nodded, but kept firing her bow. She was glad that the guards had left their ammo when they evacuated. Kuro took a meditative position and magicka began to flow around him, powerful enough to be felt from all the vampires, who then began to target the general location of Kuro, only to be thwarted by Aela. Even with the large number of arrows she had, she was starting to run low. She hoped whatever Kuro was trying to do would work, and fast.  
_

Plague and Zane were doing what they did best, slaughter. Plague was using destruction in one hand, and a mace in the other, practically dancing with his attacks. Zane, on the other hand, was simply standing back and launching powerful bolts of dark magic at the vampires. Even though they were dark magic races, Zanes attacks were not weakened.

Davine, an Altmer Vampire, decided enough was enough. Reverting to his normal form, he charged forward, matching Zane's attacks, magic for magic. Zane narrowed his eyes at this, seeing as his style of magic was known to very few outside of Akavir, and Kuro certainly hadnt taught anyone. That could mean quite a few things, none of which bid well for Zane or his allies.

Davine, however, had not stopped, and continued his charge, which was surprising. Zane disregarded his former stance and charged toward Davine, letting Plague handle slaughtering the vampires. Davine shot forth a black blast which Zane absolutely knew he had to avoid. As soon as the blast touched the ground, it simply disappeared, along with much of the ground itself. Zane showed no outward emotion, but he was nearly panicking, for him at least. That blast was a conversion spell, meant to turn matter into pure energy. If it had hit a mage, it very well could have destroyed Solitude entirely. The conversion spell coming into contact with a high concentration of magicka was devastating. He didnt bother question why Davine hadnt used it on a mage, as Davine obviously wanted to live, and it was just as obvious that whoever commanded the vampires wanted to control solitude, not destroy it.

Davine fired a red blast, this one Zane recognized all too well. A simple concentrated heat spell, made for piercing with sheer heat. Zane narrowly dodged the bolt, and retaliated with his own thunderbolt, which Davine barely dodged. From there, it was a simple back and forth with simple spells, countering each spell by dodging or block with wards. After a few moments, it advanced to utterly dark and dangerous magic, both opponents swirling around each other while casting spells. When they finally stopped moving, they had swapped their original places, before Zane cracked a smirk, small as it was.

Davine didnt have time to question it, before four ethereal walls sprung up around him. Davine's eyes widened, before he realized what had happened. Zane had used a temporary, but indestructible ward to contain Davine for a short period, but the place he had done so was dangerous. It containted the area that Davine had destroyed with his conversion attack. Davine barely had time to hold out his hand before an incredible blast utterly disintegrated him and everything within the cube that Zane had created. As the cube fell, Zane noted that the smoke from the cube would notify everyone that Zane had gone all out. He slumped against the wall. Creating that four pillar spell was not easy on his reserves. Zane took a moment to breathe, while Plague was busy clearing the rest of the vampires out.  
_

Without warning, lightning began to strike all the Vampires, except a few. Harkon was utterly shocked at that, and amazed by the raw power of the mage who did it. It would certainly not be easy on the reserves, nor would such a technique be light on concentration. Whoever had cast such a spell had time, which meant it was partially Harkon's fault for not getting directly involved. He sighed, before descending into the chaos of the battle. He had not felt so young in years! Probably hundreds, but he hadnt counted. Even in his prime, he was not nearly as strong as he was now. With that in mind, he shot forward at the two nords who had slaughtered the most, Farkas and Vilkas.

His hand shot forward and impaled Vilkas in his abdomen. Farkas, enraged, slung his greatsword at the new threat with an incredible amount of force. Harkon stopped it with his bare hand, right before mimicing his actions against Vilkas onto Farkas. He chuckled lightly as he saw the brothers lying in their own blood. Reminded him of his own brother, who he killed so many years ago. Feeling slightly nostalgic, he continued forward, noting the lightning had stopped. Odd, considering it was still raining, but maybe it was an after effect of the spell.

He continued on, to the outside walls, where he saw a man slumped against the wall, and another man slaughtering the vampire lords. Harkon was annoyed at this. He had planned for light resistance, only town guards and a few garrisoned soldiers, not trained and undoubtedly powerful veterans. Even worse, he had planned to take Solitude by surprise. The fact that his opponents were leagues above what he had prepared for, and were not taken by surprise, which meant that his army was failing. Of course, they were still slowly overpowering their opponents, wearing them down by sheer numbers.

Harkon easily pierced Zane to the wall, using a sword he picked up from the ground. Zane, to his credit, didnt even flinch, still trying to catch his second wind. Plague was more dangerous to encounter, as he wasnted tired. Even so, Harkon had charged without a care in the world. Plague blocked the first claw with his mace, which was guarunteed to make his arm sore. Plague narrowly dodged the second claw, before casting a fire cloak spell, to separate Harkon from him. Harkon backed away, before grabbing a sword on the ground and chucking it at Plague too fast for him to avoid. Plague fell, his leg falling opposite of him. Harkon didnt look back, as he went back inside the gates to deal with the others.

Harkon sighed, before noticing the werewolf which had taken down one of the more powerful Vampire Lords that Harkon had brought. Maybe he should have brought more of them, the fodder just werent cutting it against these people. Oh well, at least he was there to fix the mistakes. Alex didnt even get to turn before Harkon's claws pierced the Werewolf. Impalement was his favorite way to kill a person.

Five down, two to go. Harkon was practically whistling by now, with just how casual it all felt. So many people down with little more than brash movements and his obviously deadly claws. Magic was fun, but nothing beat impaling someone with your own arm. Although, the blood and gore would likely be hard to wash off, he wasnt worried. He immediately jumped to the tower that Kuro and Aela were on. Unfortunately, the two were not in the open, as they had moved inside the tower. Harkon bashed the door in, before his vision exploded in flames.

Harkon berated himself for falling for a simple rune trap, while hissing in pain at the fire. Fortunately, even fire was not strong enough to kill him. It barely even weakened him truly. He charged foward, seeing the two he was hunting. He stopped himself in the middle of the room, as the two jumped off the tower. Fucking cowards. Harkon sighed to himself, knowing he would have to chase after them. That was when he heard the fire that was certainly not from the fire rune. He turned, and cringed. Gunpowder, far enough away from the door to not have been lit by the rune, but there was a rope, which went from the gunpowder to the door. As it was, the rope burned fast, so much that he did not have enough time to even turn before the tower exploded _

Kuro laughed as he sagged to the ground. The enormous use of magicka had taken its toll, from his open warfare with the vampires, to the lightning storm, to that last fire rune and slowfall. He was drained, and it showed, from just how he slumped to the ground the second his slowfall ended. Aela chuckled at him, before lifting him and supporting him with her shoulder, dragging him towards the downed allies. He healed Alex first, then Vilkas and Farkas, before moving on to Zane and Plague.

When he saw the seriousness of the injuries, he was worried. Even though all the vampires were gone now, they had only Kuro and Zane as healers, and neither were professional. Kuro only sealed up wounds, while Zane did little more than burn the wounds closed. They needed good medical attention and fast. Kuro hoped Demetri would arrive soon, with Eclipse.

A few moments later, everyone of the group was sitting in a circle, each tired and worn out from the fighting. Zane had managed to banaged Plague's leg, although he was still missing his leg, which left the mood rather solemn. Kuro finally spoke up. "Alright, no casualties, only serious injuries, most already treated... Id say this was a favorable outcome."

Plague stared at Kuro dully. "Unless you have a plan to fix a missing limb, then Id rank this a bit above a 'serious injury'"

Kuro simply grinned, not replying vocally. He chuckled, before standing up and walking towards the fallen tower. "Well, Ill arrange for that Plague, but first, we need to dispose of t-." His voice was cut off, by a greatsword.  
_

Kenji watched, irritated, as his favorite and most powerful general died because of Kuro. He was crafty, he would give him that. It was likely that blast would have killed even him, so Harkon was no doubt dead. He could be replaced, however. Kenji glared down as Kuro healed his allies. That bastard had cost him too much. He knew without a doubt this was the mage who discovered his plans, and the one who prepared for the attack. The other two who used magic had not shown the tactics that Kuro had. Zane had shown some strategy and planning, but it was simple manuvering, whilst Kuro predicted perfectly what his enemy would do.

Kenji made his decision, as Kuro rose to walk towards the tower, Harkon's Fall, as Kenji would have named it. Kuro had shown insane skill with magic, perceptiveness unmatched. He had displayed powers from ancient times, that could become dangerous to Kenji, given time. Kenji descended before anyone could react, and slashed his greatsword right through Kuro's neck.  
_

The group stared with blatant horror as Kuro's head fell from his body, a look of shock plastered on the severed head, before it smiled, which served as its last act.

If any of them had been in fighting condition, they may have attacked the man who did so, but they could scarcely move, let alone fight. The man turned to them, and most of them felt their hearts jump in their chests.

Kenji grinned. "This is what happens to those who oppose me. I will let the rest of you live, as a warning. Spread word, Kenjiro Nakamura is here to stay!" Without another word, Kenji vanished.

The group didnt speak for a moment, but as Zane was about to speak, another person descended towards Kuro's body, not even speaking. He merely ripped off Kuro's right arm, before vanishing in an entirely different manner. While Kenji had vanished with pure speed, and probably some speed boosting potions, This man, masked and robed so none of him was seen, except his dull red eyes, had vanished instantly, via a recall spell.

The group mourned in silence, healing their injuries. Within ten minutes, everyone was healed, only to hear a much larger army approach.

"We should retreat." Aela pleaded, not wanting to see anyone else die today.

Alex shook his head, a ferocity in his eyes that Aela had only seen when Kodlak had died. "No, we hold our ground here." No one argued, each enraged, if a bit tired.

The group was rather surprised when a breton and dunmer walked towards them. Plague laughed mirthlessly. "Demetri, and Eclipse."

Demetri waved at them with a smile, but that smile faded when he saw Kuro's body, and everyone else's conditions. "What happened?"

After a short explanation, and a bit of mourning, both for the guards, and Kuro, the group, combined with Demetri, Eclipse, and a stormcloak battalion, headed for whiterun.

The group decided to burry Kuro's remains in Solitude, while the vampire bodies were to be burned. The group left the city, unaware what was happening back in the city.  
_

Two male figures stood amoung the freshly slaughtered Solitude Guards. The first figure grinned at the sheer number of bodies that had been left by the group's war with Harkon's vampires. Lucifer cackled at this. The number of bodies was the perfect amount he needed, plus one. Of course, seeing that he had special plans for that specific one, he was willing to forgo counting that body. The piled bodies came up to two hundred fifty two, plus ten guards who had tried to stop the two from going forward with their plans.

Lucifer piled the bodies onto each other, making a pyramid from them all. "Now, you have any spells to seal them together, or perhaps just a giant sack?"

Miraak nodded, casting a simple sticking spell at the bodies, making them incredibly difficult to separate. One of Miraak's dragons swopped down, and grabbed the assembled bodies with its feet, before taking off with the bodies, headed towards Miraak's temple in Sosltheim. Another dragon landed, before Lucifer and Miraak both climbed on, Miraak sitting like any sane person, whilst Lucifer was standing on its back.

Lucifer cackled loudly into the skies. His plans were finally coming into fruition. That idiot Kenjiro had played right into his hands! On the other hand, why Kuro was missing an arm, he did not know. It made no sense, but wasnt important. All he needed was the head and body, missing an arm wouldnt do anything against his plans. It raised quite a few questions, but none were of much importance. Even so, he had to wonder just what anyone could possibly want with a single arm. None of the good rituals would work with just an arm, but perhaps it wasnt for a ritual. He began to feel a slight sense of dread as he thought about the possibility of a necromancer better than him. He would feel sorry for Kuro if both of them tried the ritual at the same time, the poor man's soul would be ripped in half.  
_

The man who took Kuro's arm laughed outright at his luck. He had expected to be forced to go all out against Kuro for that arm, yet it was easy to take. He would have to gift Kenji with a little present for such a thing. Waiting for over two hundred years, and he would finally be able to resurrect his true master! Not the braggart, not the poet, not the whore, nor the inventor. His master was above all of them, yet they were part of him. The key was right in his hands, this arm, which held such power, was the key to all his plans. Fuck Kuro's soul, this arm held something infinitely more valuable. Kuro was an incredible warrior, but he was a simple man, and weakened at that.

The man's eyes shined in the moonlight, showing blue eyes to the world. "Soon, Master, soon..." 


End file.
